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Category Archives: Bible Study
The Sending—A Sermon from Matthew 10
As we’ve been walking through Matthew’s story, we’ve walked with Jesus through several episodes that reveal his authority. Jesus teaches with authority and orders around demons with authority. He claims the authority to forgive sins, and points his finger at … Continue reading
Posted in Matthew, Mission, Preaching, Sermon Manuscript
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Kingdom Come: A Sermon about Matthew’s Genealogy
He was the “Son of God”, the “bringer of Good News”, the Lord, the Savior, the one who would restore order and justice to the earth—at least that was Rome’s official story about Caesar. History also seems to look favorably … Continue reading
Posted in Bible Study, Discipleship, Matthew, Mission, Narrative Theology, New Testament, Power, Story
Tagged genealogy, matthew
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The Story (As Told by Steven, at This Moment, in This Place)
I’ve been thinking a good bit lately about the nature of scripture, and particularly the grand narrative of the biblical text. There are a lot of synopses of the story, but I’ve been tinkering with my own, a task that … Continue reading
Preaching on Power
I am super-stoked about preaching this weekend. It’s about power, which underlies so much of the world, but of which we speak so inadequately about. Here is some of the design work that goes with the sermon. Sometimes the sermon … Continue reading
Egypt in Hosea
One of the interesting features of Hosea is the role(s) that Egypt plays in the text. The word “Egypt” shows up 13 times in Hosea (2.02 occurrences per 1000 words). That’s the highest concentration of occurrences of any book in the … Continue reading
Hosea and Gomer—Background of Hosea 3:1
Perhaps because they differ greatly from the rest of the book, the sections of Hosea which tell of his personal family life seem to be better known than the poetic passages. The relevant texts are Hosea 1 (particularly Hosea 1:2-3), … Continue reading
Public and Private in the Sermon on the Mount
Reading through the sermon on the mount this morning, I was struck by the tension between public and private dimensions of faith that keep popping up throughout the sermon. Jesus teaches that there are certain parts of our life of … Continue reading
Posted in Bible Study, Matthew, New Testament, Sermon on the Mount
Tagged Jesus, private, public, sermon on the mount
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Hosea and Gomer—A Sermon About the Love of God
When my friends and I used to sit around and talk about women (and the chasing of them), I used to say that I was looking for somebody with three “G”s. I wanted somebody who was Genuine, Gentle, and Godly. … Continue reading
Posted in Bible Study, Hosea, Ministry, Old Testament, Preaching, Sermon Manuscript
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Matthew’s Genealogy and the End of the Exile
After reading N.T. Wright’s The New Testament and the People of God, I read Matthew’s genealogy a little differently this morning. Reflecting on the way I normally read Matthew’s first chapter, I think I have typically read the counts that … Continue reading
Posted in Bible Study, Matthew, New Testament
Tagged exile, Israel, Jesus, Messiah, N.T. Wright
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Hosea—A Bibliography for Study and Preaching
While I’ve been preparing for the Hosea series of sermons (and blog posts!) I have had the wonderful chance to work through a few books, and I thought I should share a few I’ve found helpful. Looking for a commentary … Continue reading →