Reasoning Through the Bible

After getting a key confession from Peter, Jesus states that He will build His church upon this rock. He also tells Peter He is giving him the keys to the kingdom of heaven. In this session we discuss the rock and the keys and compare this passage in Matthew with other passages that shed light on the question of who is the rock and what are the keys.   We also explain a great teaching about human...

Two Jewish factions, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, ask Jesus for a sign as evidence that He is who He claims to be. They are only looking for evidence to trap Him. As always, He challenges their assumptions and undermines their motivations.  Jesus also forces a decision from the disciples by asking them who He is. This question is a major turning point in the book of Matthew where Jesus hinges...

Jesus has gone to the most remote parts of the country where the gentiles live. He encounters a woman who desperately wants Jesus to heal her daughter. Her faith in Christ ends up getting her what she desires. We also see a change in the direction in the book of Matthew where Jesus begins to move toward the gentiles.    How should we view ourselves in relation to Jesus? What should we do when God...

Jesus challenges the traditions of mankind when He rejects the Pharisees’ traditions. The Jewish leaders challenge Jesus on His view of the Mishnah and He turns the tables on them. Jesus also makes a clear statement about whether the Old Testament dietary laws are still in place today.   How important is taking care of our parents and family members? What does Jesus say about the condition of the...

We look at Jesus multiplying of the loaves and fish to feed a great multitude. We look at both the physical act of feeding a large crowd and also look at the spiritual application of this miracle. Jesus takes a tiny bit of resources and gives it to His disciples who distribute it to the large crowd. We also see how Jesus purposely sends the disciples into a great storm so He can do a greater mirac...

John the Baptist has his head delivered on a platter because of the depravity of the ruling family. John knew he was in the will of God, yet he loses his life because of his ministry.  Being God’s prophet, John speaks against the moral actions of a political leader, which is a question for our day.  Jesus called John the greatest prophet and John spoke directly about the actions of secular leaders...

This session talks about four kingdom parables, the mustard seed, the leaven in the dough, the treasure hidden in a field, and the pearl of great price. These parables give us a view of what Jesus did for us. We discuss what is leaven and how it affects people in the world. We also talk about why it’s sometimes harder to talk to people close to you about spiritual things.   Is it true that there w...

In this session we discuss the parable of The Wheat and the Tares (or Weeds) and the parable of the Dragnet. The parables give us practical truths for today, but also give us a chance to give an overview of what the Bible says about the end of the age. What is eschatology? We did a separate session on the Kingdom of Heaven compared to the Kingdom of God, and we expand upon that theme here in these...

Jesus begins to teach in parables, so storytelling can be a good way to communicate spiritual truths even today. Jesus’ parables are designed to make us think, and if we look at them closely we will learn the parables are quite rich in meaning. In this session Steve and Glenn discuss the parable of the sower and the soils. Fortunately Jesus gives us explanation for this and tells us what it means,...

In this passage Jesus talks about how people relate to demons, including what happens to people who have been delivered from demons but do not accept Jesus. We discuss the relationship between God and the demonic world and whether Christians should worry about the demonic world.  This passage also talks about Mary, so we talk about the place of Jesus’ mother and His brothers and whether or not Mar...

Today's session is a departure from our normal walk through the Scriptures to provide our listeners with an update of the RTTB ministry.  Some of the items this session will cover are:  Reminder of the ministry goals Encouragement to listen to multiple sessions if listening for the first time Introduction of our producer - Elsa After 5 months some questions of next areas for the ministry How...

Jesus says that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven. What does this mean?  Can someone today have said something in the past that God will not forgive him for? Or is Jesus all loving and forgiving of everything? We also talk about Jesus giving the sign of Jonah and that the message of Jonah is not a fish story.   Is there going to be a judgement day? What will it be like? What...

Earlier Jesus only spoke to the Jews, but He now mentions the gentiles, which marks another change in His message. Jesus shows from the Old Testament that gentiles will benefit from His ministry. The people recognize the importance of Jesus being the son of David. The Pharisees attribute Jesus power to Beelzebub, or Satan, which marks the depth and severity of their rejection of Him.   Who is the...

The Jewish leaders have begun to reject Jesus so Jesus begins to change His message. Jesus makes the Jewish legalists angry because of what He does on the sabbath. Keeping the sabbath was important to the Jewish leaders. Rather than learn the truth from Jesus, they follow Him and try to catch Him doing something so they could accuse Him.  Legalism always lays a burden on people that is not loving...

Can Christians satisfy the criticisms that the world throws our way, or is it impossible to please them?  It seems that whatever Christians do, they cannot please the skeptic and critic. Regarding the problem of evil, are the logical answers to them? How about the liberal or progressive Bible critic? We also give a brief explanation of theological systems like reformed theology, sovereign election...

We again meet John the Baptist and discuss why he was thrown in prison and what we should do in our day with similar questions. We discuss why John sent his remaining disciples to Jesus and what to do if we have doubts. We talk about what role John the Baptist filled and where he fits into Biblical prophecy and the kingdom that he and Jesus was speaking about.   How do I know whether to keep silen...

“It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher.” Is this enough for us today? In our day, we should not expect to be treated any better than Jesus and the disciples. What happens when one member of a household has their life changed by Jesus?  Jesus tells us how we can find life, which is through Him.   What should you do if you think God has forgotten about you?  What does Jesus m...

In this session we learn a principle of interpreting the book of Matthew that will help us determine which teaching of Jesus are for the current day and which are for a future age and why Matthew sometimes has one passage that mixes different types of instructions to different people and different eras.  Jesus tells His apostles to be wise as serpents but harmless as doves, a lesson that is import...

In this session Jesus selects His twelve apostles. We learn about the twelve as a cross-section of society and discuss how many of the apostles are similar to us. This session explains how Jesus gives these men the power to do miracles and sends them out with a message. We discuss the role of apostles and how being an apostle is a special office that can only be chosen by Jesus.   Did Jesus pick J...

This session discusses fasting and also explains the parable of the new wine in the new wineskins. We meet a woman who has an issue of blood that sees Jesus as her only hope. Even though he is busy, He notices a woman on a spiritual level and heals her in a deeply personal way. Jesus once again shows His deity by accepting worship, then raising a dead girl and healing blind men. Jesus will fix us...

Sin has a paralyzing effect on people. Jesus can heal the physical paralysis, but He also heals the greater problem which is sin. Because Jesus can heal the physical body then He shows He can also forgive our sins and heal our spirit.  This session also looks at the calling of the disciples and shows that when Jesus asks us, we need to respond immediately.   How does Jesus respond to the faith of...

Jesus demonstrates that He has power over disease, demons, and the natural world.  The Pharisees never challenged whether Jesus actually did the miracles because there were so many. Jesus shows that He is clearly in charge over all creation. Following Jesus will result in great cost and great benefit.   Are Christians guaranteed to have health and wealth?  Should we wait until we have our life in...

Matthew presents a series of miracles that demonstrate His deity and truth of His messages. Jesus heals a leper and then heals the servant of a Roman centurion. These miracles are for a purpose and we learn great truths. All people are in an unclean state before God, but if Jesus cleanses us and reaches out and touches us we will be changed forever.   What is leprosy and what does it represent in...

Jesus tells us that the way to life is narrow but there is a broad way that leads to destruction. He warns us against false teachers, false believers, and cautions us to look for the one true way. The Bible tells us to recognize that there are false paths before us in the form of false churches and false teachings.   Are there many spiritual paths that are all valid? Are there people in churches w...

Jesus tells us to not worry about our life or food or clothing. Many times we worry about things that never come to pass. Jesus tells us to trust Him and not worry. But how can we do this? How can we not let worry overwhelm us? God takes care of His creation, so He will take care of us. If we seek His kingdom and His righteousness, God will take care of all the earthly things. We also discuss what...