Son
… and he began to teach them.
Summary: Jesus’ role as a “son” defines him in an entirely different way from who he is as a God, Creator, and King.
Continue reading “Matthew 5: 2 — Who is Jesus? Part IV”Matthew 5: 2 — Who is Jesus? Part III
King
… and he began to teach them.
Summary: It is important to understand who it is who is teaching us the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus is more than an itinerant rabbi, he also happens to be a king.
Continue reading “Matthew 5: 2 — Who is Jesus? Part III”Matthew 5: 2 — Who is Jesus? Part II
Creator
… and he began to teach them.
Summary: More than a man, people who meet Jesus face-to-face are looking into the eyes of the being who made everything we know and experience possible.
Continue reading “Matthew 5: 2 — Who is Jesus? Part II”Matthew 5: 1-2 — Finding Jesus
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.
Summary: Learning about God is a tricky business. It is easy to fall into the trap of depending on someone else’s description of God rather than listening to God directly.
Continue reading “Matthew 5: 1-2 — Finding Jesus”2 Peter 1:8d — Zoom!
…in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Summary: There is knowledge, and there is knowledge. The kind of knowledge Peter is talking about is precise and detailed.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:8d — Zoom!”2 Peter 1:5c — The Bridge
… to add to your faith goodness …
Summary: Faith is that precious gift of knowing Jesus Christ personally. Goodness is what we do with it.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:5c — The Bridge”2 Peter 1:5a — Open and Closed
For this very reason …
Summary: This conjunctive phrase connects the reasons for living a godly life to the need to live a godly life.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:5a — Open and Closed”2 Peter 1:4c — One With God
… so that through them you may participate in the divine nature …
Summary: How is it possible that we can participate in God’s divine nature? How is it possible that a hundred choral voices can join into one? There is a parallel here that might help us understand this passage.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:4c — One With God”2 Peter 1:3c — The Day Everything Changed
… through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Summary: Peter reminds us that the reason for Jesus to be born as a human here on earth was to establish a new covenant that replaced the old.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:3c — The Day Everything Changed”2 Peter 1:3b — A Godly Life
… has given us everything we need for a godly life …
Summary: What is a godly life? It is a question we should spend some time thinking about. Jesus is God, so we know that we should be like him, but are we to be like him in every way?
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:3b — A Godly Life”