Jesus’ longest sermon—or collection of teachings—is the Sermon on the Mount. His three-chapter survey of life in God’s kingdom begins with a statement of values that has come to be known as the Beatitudes. Read Matthew 5:2-16 (see also Luke 6:20). What are the common features of these nine values or kinds of people described by Jesus as … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Matt. 5:2-16, Matt. 5:38-48; Rom. 12:20-21; Luke 16:19-31; Luke 12:13-21; Matt. 25:31-46. Memory Text: “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me’” (Matthew 25:40, NKJV). After seeing that Jesus lived a life concerned … Continue reading –>
Fired for the Sabbath By Aurora Carlos Justino I grew up in Nampula, Mozambique’s third-largest city where 80 percent of the population is Muslim. I didn’t feel comfortable with the faith of my mother, who got divorced when I was small. Something in my mind kept telling me that I should examine Christianity to find … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “In the Footsteps of the Master”, pages 117-124, in Welfare Ministry; “Days of Ministry”, pages 29-50, in The Ministry of Healing; “The Temple Cleansed Again”, pages 589-600; “In Pilate’s Judgment Hall”, pages 723-740, in The Desire of Ages. “God has given in His word decisive evidence that He will punish the transgressors of His law. Those … Continue reading –>
That God is a God who sees and hears the cries of the poor and oppressed is comforting. That God is a God who, in Jesus, has experienced and endured the worst of our world’s inhumanity, oppression, and injustice is astounding. Despite all the compassion and goodness Jesus demonstrated in His life and ministry, His … Continue reading –>
When we read the stories of Jesus in the Gospels, we are often attracted to the gentle images of Jesus—His care for the sick and for children, His stories of searching for the lost, and His talk about the kingdom of God. This might be why other stories in which we see Him acting forcefully … Continue reading –>
The Gospels are peppered with the stories of Jesus’ miracles, particularly those of healing. As Isaiah had prophesied, He healed the blind and released those who had been held captive by disease, sometimes after many years of suffering (see, for example, Mark 5:24-34, John 5:1-15). But He did more than this: He made the lame walk again; He … Continue reading –>
Whether it was the prescribed reading for the day or whether Jesus intentionally found the relevant verses (Isa. 61:1-2) in the scroll He was given to read, it was no coincidence these verses were the text for His first public sermon. Neither is it a coincidence that the story of Jesus’ short sermon in Luke 4:16-21—“Today this scripture … Continue reading –>
Imagine the scene: Mary had received a message from the angel Gabriel just a few days earlier. He had told her that she was to be the mother of Jesus, the Son of the Most High. She has not yet told anyone but goes to visit Elizabeth, her older relative, who also is expecting a … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Luke 1:46-55, Luke 4:16-21, Luke 7:18-23, Matt. 12:15-21, Matt. 21:12-16, Mark 11:15-19, Isa. 53:3-6. Memory Text: “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to … Continue reading –>
