Gospel Living

And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25  And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26  And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27  But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house. A parable is a true-to-life story that metaphorically illustrates a spiritual reality.  It’s hard to believe that there would be a negative side to their usage, but that is exactly their context.  Rather than simply a creative outlet for Jesus’s instruction, He used them to hide truth from those rejecting Him. Jesus used smaller illustrations in His teaching in the past.  In the Sermon on the Mount, He called His disciples “the salt of the earth” (Mt 5:13) and t...

11  And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12  And he strictly ordered them not to make him known. Popular cinema and other forms of media have portrayed spiritual warfare as a mystical extension of human conflict.  Humans fight with swords and fists in the mud, while angels might do so in aerial displays of grace and power.  Christians are taught to involve themselves by speaking words binding evil spirits until supernatural authorities can cart away the tempters.  When compared to such rhetoric, true spiritual warfare may not seem as spectacular, but it is far more effective. It’s the presence of Jesus that brings demons to their knees.   True spiritual warfare is fought by Christ and His Word.  That is why we are commanded to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Eph 6:10).  We can stand only in the armor He provides us (vv. 11–13).  Our only...

5            Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings             and crowned him with glory and honor. 6            You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;             you have put all things under his feet, 7            all sheep and oxen,             and also the beasts of the field, 8            the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,             whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9            O Lord, our Lord,      ...

“That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33  And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34  And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.” Our new day starts at midnight, but the Jewish culture marked it at sunset.  In this case, the evening marks the end of this long Sabbath day, but there’s still no rest for the Lord.  The news of the healing had went through the area (v. 28), so now that the Sabbath had ended, the people now come carrying their infirmed. Maybe coming in intervals, “the whole city was gathered.”  This means that Jesus eliminated sickness in Capernaum that night!  If someone truly healed like Jesus today, he would empty hospitals.  It’s amazing to see the Great Physician destroying every kind of disease, especially knowing He can do the same with sin and death. It...

“ 23  And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24  ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.’ 25  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ 26  And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27  And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’ 28  And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.” Mark’s Gospel is shorter, but it doesn’t lack in supernatural accounts.  This section demonstrates the truth we highlighted yesterday—Jesus is authoritative, and Mark records Jesus's first miracle as authority over demonic forces.  The Romans knew of demonism, and Jesus wields command over th...

The good folks at the Master's Seminary want to see the Christ's church as biblically-oriented and God-honoring as possible. As such, they have been placing their class lectures online for free.  This act of love provides wonderful opportunities for discipleship, training, and review. This post highlights the second of four theology classes offered by the seminary (the first is here ). Here are a few questions these videos will help you answer: Who was Jesus of Nazareth? (Christology, the largest section) What claims did He make? Why did He come to earth and die? What false beliefs and heresies about Christ have arisen over the years? What prophecy points to Him? Who is the Holy Spirit? (Pnuematology) Or, should the question be what is the Holy Spirit? What does the Holy Spirit do? What does it mean to be indwelt by the Spirit? How does the Holy Spirit work through the Charismatic-type churches? What are angels and demons? (Angelology) Who is Satan, for th...

As you know, last week was the 50th anniversary marking the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  His death that day understandably overshadowed the end of another great man's life, C. S. Lewis. Here we are today, half a century removed from both.  Of the two men, as Al Mohler pointed out in his briefing , Lewis probably had the more lasting influence.  His literature, both fiction and non, continue to be monumental around the world as he moves readers to deeper reflections on faith and Scripture. To commemorate Lewis' death, Justin Brierley, host of Premeir Christian Radio's "Unbelievable?" program, reimagined The Screwtape Letters for today.  Peter Byrom provided voice to the elder tempter. So, how might that senior demon advise his nephew if Lewis wrote in the 21st century context?  Below are links to the The Screwtape Podcast, as it were: Screwtape on modern technology Screwtape on prayer Screwtape on pride Screwtape on suffering Screwt...

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3 Part 4: __________________________________________________________ o review, Peter seems to be obsessed with the events surrounding the flood. He seems to believe that they teach something useful, something comforting to those in pain and trials. Is the flood important? If the flood account were not true, then these things would be of little consequence to hurting believers.  Moreover, we readers today would take even less solace in what Peter has to say. Poor Simon Peter, always with his foot in his mouth.  Right?  Not at all. We went a different route and did not study the angels, but let us turn to them once again.   If the flood is a real event in human history, and  if we can see the effects of it in the world around us, then the story of angels cohabiting with women is probably factual as well. If your view of the world is defined by Scripture, then you are thinking like Peter (or, the Holy Spirit) wan...

I taught on Sunday on the question of Christ's descending after the crucifixion, based on chapters 5-7 of The Darkness and the Glory by Greg Harris ( listen to Dr. MacArthur's endorsement of the book ). I wanted to post the notes this week for two reasons.  First, it concerns a passage that is very controversial that will end up blessing your soul.  Second, I had already spent some time on the controversy of Genesis 6:1-4 (have I posted that controversy here before?), so this week I taught on the larger aspect of Genesis 6-8: the flood.  Many people said that was helpful for their perception of the world. Because of the amount of information I'm posting today, I'm breaking the lesson into parts. __________________________ n the study guide to the TDATG, Dr. Harris relates his love for this book in the study guide, noting that it is one of his “ life time study books ” (49). He also notes his study on a very controversial passage, 1 Peter 3:17–20, calling it a...

This concise explanation from Defcon : And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an ANGEL OF LIGHT. Holy Bible / 2 Corinthians 11:14 T here have also been ministering angels in the Church which were of Satan appearing as an ANGEL OF LIGHT. Joseph Smith / Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith / Page 214 / 1842 T he angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil…that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an ANGEL OF LIGHT. Book of Mormon / 2 Nephi 9:8-9 W e learn from the revealed word that Satan was once an ANGEL OF LIGHT, then known as Lucifer, a Son of the morning. James E. Talmage / Articles of Faith / Page 56 / 1988 S atan wants us to believe in his false prophets, false healers, and false miracle workers. They may appear to be so real to us that the only way to know is to ask God for the gift of discernment. The devil himself can appear as an ANGEL OF LIGHT. ...