Open the Bible UK Daily

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 Jesus came so that you may have life. If you are in Christ, you have it. Life is in Christ, and if Christ is in you, life is in you. But Jesus does not stop there. He adds these four marvellous words: “and have it abundantly.” What does this mean? It would be easy to say, “Jesus...

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life... ” John 10:10 Picture your life as a house. You are sitting in your living room, and there is a knock on the door. You pull back the curtain to see who is outside. Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with m...

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 Notice that alongside Jesus, who has come into the world to bring life, there is also a thief who comes to steal . The thief takes away what was yours and leaves you with less than you had. The thief has also come to kill and destroy . Once you had faith and hope and joy, but you...

“This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.” John 6:39 Someone might hear that Jesus has come into the world, and say, “So what? What difference is that to me?” Here are two reasons to rejoice: 1. Rejoice in the goodness of God Suppose that this world was ruled by some dark power who sought our destruction. Suppose...

“This is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life.” John 6:40 Maybe you are not sure if what God wills is really for you. Let’s consider the words of Jesus together: “This is the will of my Father…” Some of us could be described as strong-willed. Once you get hold of something, you won’t let it go. How strong is the will of almighty God...

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” John 6:38 How did Jesus get the will of God done? Here are two ways: Jesus came down from heaven Notice Jesus tells us that He came “down from heaven.” His life did not begin in the manger. Before He lay in the arms of Mary, He was at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. He says, “I have come down fro...

“I have come... not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.” John 6:38-39 Here is another reason Jesus came into the world: to do the will of the Father. Jesus gives us an inside look at God’s will for every believer. 1. All who come to the Son are gifts from God...

I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Luke 5:32 Why doesn’t everyone respond positively to Jesus’ call to follow Him? Here are three different ways people respond: 1. I am too good to need repentance Let’s accept for a moment that you are living a good moral life. Are you sure that you have nothing to repent of? Does your conscience never trouble you? Have you loved God...

Levi made [Jesus] a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. Luke 5:29 What comes to mind when you hear the word repentance ? Do you imagine humiliation, shame, and being hard on yourself? Here are three things about repentance that people often find surprising: 1. Repentance brings joy, not regret If repentance is being har...

Leaving everything, [Levi] rose and followed him. Luke 5:28 This was an irreversible decision. Peter, Andrew, James, and John had a trade to return to, but the Romans would not have welcomed back a man who left his tax booth. Jesus called Levi to a completely different life—not to add believing in Jesus to his old way of life, but to leave his old life for something new. When you follow Jesus, her...

[Jesus] said to him, “Follow me.” Luke 5:27 Notice that this command of Jesus is completely open-ended. “Follow me.” What will this mean for Levi? Jesus gives no specifics. When students are looking around universities, the admissions department will say, “Here’s our course. And here are all the marvellous facilities we have on campus. And here’s what we can offer by way of bursary or future caree...

[Jesus] said to him, “Follow me.” Luke 5:27 Why would Jesus choose a man like Matthew the tax collector to be a disciple? Wasn’t it obvious that a man like this, known for his collaboration and corruption, would be a liability? Luke tells us that the Pharisees “grumbled at his disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’” (5:30). The disciples were probably asking...

“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:32 Luke records the story of Levi, who became one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. His is a remarkable story. We are told that Jesus “went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth” (5:27). The fact that Levi was a tax collector tells us two things about him. The first is that he was brilliant. He was...

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Matthew 10:37–38 Jesus is speaking here about a family member who puts pressure on you to stop following Jesus. Will you listen to Jesus who says, “Follow Me”? Or to a loved one who says, “Give Hi...

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Matthew 10:34 Jesus never endorsed or promoted violence. The gospel can never advance by violence or conquest. So, what did Jesus mean when He said that He came to bring a sword? The meaning of any passage of Scripture will often become clearer when we look at the context. What went before Jes...

They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Isaiah 2:4 Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace” (Mat. 10:34), but these words are really good news. Here’s why: God has promised that one day, there will be peace. Crime and violence will cease. A world of wa...

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Matthew 10:34 Jesus, the master teacher, again anticipates a misunderstanding. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.” It would be entirely natural for those who believe in Jesus to think that was why He came. God had promised a day when a Messiah would come, a child would...

God... condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:3-4 This is good news. The reason Jesus came is that you may be able to live a new life that is pleasing to God. And this life is made possible for you by the power of the Holy Spirit. A man was serving time for th...

God has done what the law... could not do. By sending his own Son... he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:3-4 It is a wonderful truth that Jesus fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law for us. But what Paul says here is that God sent His Son into...

“Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20 This is an astonishing statement. The scribes and the Pharisees devoted their entire lives to the pursuit of righteousness. How could our righteousness ever exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees? Jesus was scathing in His critique of the Pharisees, first, because t...

“I have not come to abolish [the Law or the Prophets] but to fulfil them.” Matthew 5:17 Jesus came into the world to fulfil the law and the prophets, and He did so in His life and in His death. 1. In His Life Isaiah said that a virgin would conceive and bear a son (Is. 7:14). And when Mary bore Jesus, that prophecy was fulfilled. Micah said that the One who would rule and shepherd God’s people wou...

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets.” Matthew 5:17 A good teacher always anticipates misunderstanding, and here, Jesus corrects a false assumption about why He came into the world. Perhaps you have thought the message of the Bible is that we are all sinners, but Jesus paid the price of our sins, so now we can get on with our lives much as we did before. This would be...

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. John 1:14 At Christmas, we celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. God came down from heaven and entered our world. Why did Jesus come? The entire New Testament answers that question. Paul tells us that Jesus came to reconcile us to God. “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Cor. 5:...

A leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Mark 1:40 This man knows that Christ has the ability to make him clean, but does He want to? So the man comes to Jesus and asks. He begs Jesus—on his knees. There’s humility here. This man is not saying, “Why did you let this happen to me? You owe me.” And he isn’t saying, “Jesus, if you do this for...

In every one of Jesus’ promises, He tells us something about our relationship with Him. Yoke yourself to Christ: Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you (Mat. 11:28–29). Come to Christ: All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out (John 6:37). Follow Christ: Follow me, and I will make you fis...