Open the Bible UK Daily

Let’s review the rock-solid commitments that Jesus Christ has made to us: 1. He will give you rest “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mat. 11:28). This is the promise of forgiveness . Jesus will reconcile you to God and cleanse you. 2. He will never drive you away “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out”...

“I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may... see my glory.” John 17:24 Will you see Jesus’ glory with your eyes, or will you simply understand it more fully in your mind? One of the great Puritan writers, Thomas Manton, says it will be both. There is a glorified eye as well as a glorified mind. Job said, “Though... worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:26, K...

“Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory.” John 17:24 John 17 records the prayer of Jesus, immediately before His suffering. This prayer is divided into three parts: First, Jesus prays for Himself (17:1–5). Second, Jesus prays for His disciples (17:6–19). Third, Jesus prays for all believers (17:20–26). John 17:24 is part of our Lord’s pr...

“I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am.” John 17:24 The Son of God is saying to the Father, “I want these believers, those You have given Me, to be with Me in heaven.” Jesus wants you in heaven. Jesus is about to go to the cross. He is going to wear the crown of thorns. Nails will be driven into His hands and His feet. He is going to be plunged into utter darkn...

“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself” John 14:3 Jesus explained the purpose of His death and resurrection when He said, “I am going to prepare a place for you.” That’s why He went to the cross. That’s why He went to the grave. That’s why He rose on the third day. Jesus did these things to open heaven for His people. He did it to remove all that would...

We who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Jesus will take all His people to the Father’s house. He gives you His word on this, and He will do it in one of two ways. If you die before Christ comes, He will take you to the Father’s house without your body: “We would rath...

I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2 We are not to imagine Jesus working around the clock to get heaven organised before the second coming. If He can create the cosmos out of nothing with a word, then He can get heaven ready for believers with a single command. When Jesus says that He is going to prepare a place, it means that through His going , the place will be prepared. He is going to t...

“In the world you will have tribulation.” John 16:33 Where do people get the idea that if you follow Jesus you can expect a life that is free from failure, disappointment, and loss? This is precisely the opposite of what Jesus Himself said. Jesus confronted His disciples with the realities of life: “In the world you will have tribulation” (16:33). Then He established their hope in another world: “...

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” John 14:1-2 When Jesus says, “Let not your hearts be troubled,” He is not saying, “I will make this world a better place for you. It will get better over the centuries.” Or “As you get older, the experience of fai...

“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” John 14:23 The Bible speaks in several places about Jesus living in us. In Ephesians, Paul prayed that “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Eph. 3:17). And in Colossians, Paul spoke about “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). Knowing that Jesus is with...

“You know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” John 14:17 Suppose you go to the doctor, and you are diagnosed with some serious condition: “This will need treatment, and there are two ways we can go. The first is surgery, but there is an alternative, and it’s noninvasive.” At this point, most people would be focusing on the second option. Most of us would like to avoid surgery, if at al...

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth.” John 14:16-17 How do we know the presence of Jesus in our lives today? In what way is He with us? And how exactly does He help us? After Jesus rose on that first Easter morning, He appeared to His disciples multiple times over a 40-day period. Then He was visibly taken up into heaven as...

“Everyone who acknowledges me before men... Matthew 10:32 Obedience to Jesus here is not simply calling yourself a Christian. The hardest days of your life will be your greatest opportunity to confess Him. Here are five ways to confess Jesus: 1. Confess the glory of Christ in costly obedience The Bible tells the story of Mary pouring perfume on Jesus’ feet. Mary could not think of a better use for...

“Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32 If you only read this verse in isolation, it might sound like Jesus is saying that salvation is by works: “If you do this for Me; I will do that for you.” But this is not the message of the gospel. We are saved by the blood of Jesus, not by an act of confession. There is no redeeming...

“Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-33 The word ‘acknowledge’ (or confess) in the Greek is homologeo . Homo means ‘one’ and logeo means ‘word.’ Put them together and it means “to be of one word,” or to say the same thing. Jesus said,...

"Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven." Matthew 10:32–33 If you were to make a list of the greatest days of your life, you’d probably have a few to choose from. They would likely include graduations, weddings, birthdays, and retirements. But Jesus spea...

Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19 For centuries Evangelicals have had a clear understanding of the message of the gospel. The message is the incarnation and the atonement. God became man in Jesus Christ. Christ died on the cross for our sins and broke the power of death by His resurrection. This Christ offers forgiveness of sins and peace with God, new life by the power o...

Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19 Here are seven observations suggested by Jesus’ analogy of fishing. 1. Some people are really good at fishing, but anyone can do it. You don’t have to know much about fishing to catch a fish, and God gives some people special gifts of evangelism, but every Christian can play a part in drawing other people to Jesus. 2. Fishing requires gre...

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 What did the disciples gain from three years of following Jesus? What will you learn from following Jesus that will make you effective in bringing people to Him? A new interest in people The disciples lived in a world of fish, nets, and boats. But Jesus brought them into a world of people. They didn’t like the crowds at first and wanted...

“Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” John 6:37 Jesus says, “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” Not now, not in the future, not ever. Not only is this a marvellous incentive for sinners coming to Christ, it is a wonderful assurance for believers who have come to Christ. “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” The Son will not cast out any who come. They are the gift of the Fat...

…I will never cast out. John 6:37 When you move toward Jesus, He is there for you, ready to receive you. He won’t drive you away. The word comes is in the present continuous tense. “Whoever is coming.” “Whoever is on the way.” Think of the prodigal son on his way home. He hasn’t arrived yet, but he’s on the way. If you are stirred with some sense of your own need today, if you feel drawn to Christ...

“Whoever comes to me… John 6:37 The first camera was on God the Father who gives certain people to His Son. The second camera is focused on the sinner who is coming to Jesus. Jesus invites all people to come to Him: “Whoever comes to me…” You cannot get more inclusive than that. The great truth that the Father gives certain people to the Son never excludes a person who wants to come to Christ. If...

“All that the Father gives me... John 6:37 Jesus speaks about believers as the Father’s gift to Him. The Father gives people to the Son. The people who are given to Christ come to Him. Who are these people the Father has given? How do we know who they are? They are the ones who come to Him. They come because they are given. How do these people come? “No one can come to me unless the Father who sen...

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” John 6:37 These are among the greatest words ever spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ. They take us to the heart of our salvation. Perhaps this simple illustration will help you to see why. One of the joys of watching football on television is that you see more than you would see if you were at the game... a...

“Come to me... I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you... and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 When Jesus says that you will find rest for your soul, He doesn’t mean sleep. He’s saying, “I will put an end to your inner turmoil. Bring your hurts and fears, your regrets and disappointments, your anxieties and your inadequacies to Me. Bring the pressures and troubles of your l...