Understand the Bible

Is there any sin we can commit which is so bad it can’t be forgiven? Jesus says there is only one unforgivable sin — that is, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. But, as we discover, it is a different kind of sin to any other. What does it mean for us and how we live? Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid s...

Media appearances, self-promotion, meetings with important people… these are all the things we associate with our political leaders today. Jesus is completely different to this. Jesus doesn’t promote himself, he doesn’t separate himself from ordinary people — he came with a heart of compassion towards us. This passage shows us that Jesus will not break a “bruised reed” — but what does that mean? F...

A lot of Christians give the impression that obeying God is simply about ticking off a long list of rules every day. The Pharisees thought that obeying the rules — like the Sabbath — was the most important thing. However, Jesus says they’d forgotten what obeying God was supposed to be about. Jesus turned their concept of obedience on its head and showed us what it really means to obey God. Underst...

If God chooses people, how do we know whether we are ‘chosen’ or not? And what does it mean to be chosen by God anyway? This passage helps us to understand what it means to be chosen by Jesus. In particular, we see that it means not trusting in our own wisdom and strength but God’s, and simply bringing our burdens to Jesus. Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new pos...

In this short passage, Jesus denounces towns which have rejected him. He shows that rejecting Jesus is a spiritual or moral issue, and that this will have consequences. This shows us that we need to pay careful attention to how we respond to Jesus and make sure that we listen to him every day. Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, conside...

What is the biggest barrier to knowing Jesus? One of the biggest barriers we have is our own expectations. We come to Jesus, expecting him to be a certain way, but if he does not meet our expectations it challenges us: will we let Jesus be Jesus in our lives, or will we ignore him because he didn’t meet our expectations? Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts...

What does Jesus really ask of His disciples? In this sermon on Matthew 10, we explore how much Jesus expects of us. Jesus commissions His disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of God, warns them to expect opposition—even from family and authorities—and calls them to fear God above all. This powerful chapter reveals the true cost and reward of discipleship. Key Points: * Freely Give: If we’ve received...

In this sobering sermon on Lamentations 5 , we are reminded that God's mercy is not something we deserve —it is a gift extended only to the truly penitent. In a world where entitlement often distorts our view of grace, this message calls us back to a biblical understanding of repentance, humility, and gratitude . Discover the two key truths at the heart of this message: * Our sin is deeply offensi...

Why does it feel like everything is falling apart? In this sermon on Lamentations 4 , we explore the deep parallels between the moral and spiritual collapse of ancient Jerusalem and the confusion, injustice, and chaos we see in our world today. Why are those who do good often punished, while those who do evil are celebrated or excused? Why does society seem to reward wickedness and ignore righteou...

Have you ever done something so bad to someone else that you’ve thought, “there’s no way back from this”? Tragically, some relationships do end with people never speaking to one another again. But if that’s the case with human relationships, how much more so with a holy God? In this passage from Lamentations we’re going to think about the way back called repentance. Thomas Watson’s book on repenta...

Most of us by nature don’t like to think of God’s anger (or ‘wrath’). But sometimes we are forced to confront it, as in this passage from Lamentations. What is God’s anger, and why is it important for us to think about in our lives as Christians? Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full a...

It’s human nature to want to blame everybody else for our problems. This is doubly true in our society today, where everything is psychologised. However, the Bible says that we need to take sin seriously — we need to take personal responsibility seriously. In the first of this sermon series on Lamentations, we take a look into the darkest moment in Israel’s history to see what we can learn. You ca...

All through Hebrews we have been hearing about the wonderful truths of the gospel - Christ the mediator of a new covenant, and so on. But the final chapter moves on to focus us on what difference these truths should make to our lives — especially on loving one another and honouring our leaders. The organisations I mentioned were Open Doors and Christian Concern . You can read more about my book, C...

People sometimes accuse the church of turning ‘God Almighty’ into ‘God all-matey’. Christians often struggle to reconcile the holiness of God with the access we have to him through Christ Jesus. This passage from Hebrews helps us to understand how we should approach God. Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or pa...

Being a Christian is not a walk in the park: in fact, it can feel like a real struggle — whether the opposition is within us or outside of us. This passage helps us to see our struggles in perspective, to help us understand them, and encourage us to carry on the straight and narrow path. Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider beco...

A lot of people talk about “living by faith” — but what does it really mean? This passage from Hebrews is all about living by faith. It shows us how important it is, what it looks like, and encourages to carry on despite the fact that it’s hard. The session I did on science and faith can be found on my website . If you enjoy these videos, subscribe to get them delivered to you. And if you apprecia...

Every preacher knows that they have to answer the question ‘so what’ — what relevance do these truths have to do with my life? The author of Hebrews is no exception, and in this passage we turn to how the teaching about Jesus’ sacrifice and ministry as high priest should make a difference to us. He focusses on drawing near to God, persevering despite sin and persecution, and the importance of meet...

Why did God give the Law, and why did God send Jesus? We can’t understand how Jesus fulfils the old covenant unless we understand what God wants from us in the first place. The answer is summed up in one word - holiness. In this sermon we think about holiness and how Jesus is the fulfilment of everything that God promised for us. Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive n...

If you’re new to Christian circles, you might wonder why there is a regular reference to blood — especially to the blood of Christ. What is it about his blood in particular which is important? In Hebrews chapter 9, we see why blood was so important to the Old Testament sacrifices, and how Jesus came to fulfil it. Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and supp...

Is the Old Testament obsolete? Some people seem to think so! This passage helps us to understand the purpose of the Old Testament system of sacrifices and priests, and how we should understand it now as Christians. We need to understand that we have something far superior in Jesus to the old covenant. Understand the Bible is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work,...

There are many things in life we need, and even more things we might think we need! But the truth is that only Christ can truly meet our needs. This passage draws on an obscure Old Testament character named Melchizedek to see how Jesus gives us something superior to anything else the world has to offer. ⛪CHURCH WITH UTB This sermon is part of a weekly service which is accessed online -  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Hope is what can keep us going through hard times in life. But what kind of hope do we have as Christians? Is it something only for the future? Are there promises we can look to now? And how do we know God will keep them? ⛪CHURCH WITH UTB This sermon is part of a weekly service which is accessed online -  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠check it out⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Some people just assume that Christians will grow, no matter what. But this passage from Hebrews warns us that spiritual growth is not a given, and warns us that it is in fact possible to go in the wrong direction. There is a solemn warning that those who fall away cannot be brought back to repentance. This should be an encouragement to us to keep going, no matter what. Links mentioned in the serm...

This passage gives us confidence to approach God, because Jesus - our great high priest - can sympathise with our weaknesses. He experienced suffering and temptation, and yet he overcame, so he is able to help us in our time of need. ⛪CHURCH WITH UTB This sermon is part of a weekly service which is accessed online -  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠check it out⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

What does it mean to live in God's "rest"? How can we enter into it? The passage from today's sermon explores the promise of entering God's rest, how it was not fulfilled in the Israelites, and how that promise still stands open for us today. ⛪CHURCH WITH UTB This sermon is part of a weekly service which is accessed online -  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...