The church is not a justice movement, its a mercy movement with a justice message. - Chad Brewer, sermon on 1 Peter 3. 

If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. (1 Cor 15:19)

The resurrection of the dead gives meaning, purpose, and direction to life.

Its neglect or distortion leads to deception and corruption (v. 33) because temporal realities are ultimately futile and mediocre. - John P. Harrigan

Peter, answering for the others, affirms their conviction that Jesus was ‘the Christ’—that is, the Messiah, or the coming King of the Jews. This affirmation became the bedrock [Matthew 16:15-18] upon which the Jesus movement was formed. This story, like the ‘good confession’, served to highlight the central conviction that bound Jesus’s earliest followers together: Jesus of Nazareth was the coming King of Israel.

We know of course that these terms would later lose their apocalyptic edge. Following the extended delay of the apocalyptic scenario proclaimed by the Apostles, many of the terms used in the New Testament texts would be repurposed to represent the evolving values of the growing Christian community. ‘Christ’ came to reference, not the long-awaited king of the Jews, but Jesus’s identity generally. The ‘good confession’, later used as a general public affirmation of one’s allegiance to Jesus, lost its concrete meaning and, with it, the ability to inspire hope and perseverance that Paul attempts to stimulate in his letter to Timothy. This isn’t intended to demonize these later Christian leaders. It’s simply how history has unfolded and how the early hope of the Apostles was displaced. - Bill Scofield, The Good Confession

"We read in Acts 10.44 that 'the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.' ... I want to establish that the thing was patent and evident... And if your doctrine of the Holy Spirit does not include this idea of the Holy Spirit falling upon people, it is seriously, grievously defective. This, it seems to me, has been the trouble especially during this present century, indeed almost for a hundred years. The whole notion of the Spirit falling upon people has been discountenanced and discouraged, and if you read many of the books on the Holy Spirit you will find it is not even mentioned at all, a fact which is surely one of the prime explanations of the present state of the Christian church....You particularly get the evidence for this in Acts the second chapter. It was evident at once to the populace of Jerusalem that something had happened to these men.... Then we are told about the saintly Robert Murray McCheyne in his church in Dundee in the late 1830s and early 1840s. It has been authenticated so many, many times, that McCheyne had simply to enter the pulpit and before he had opened his mouth people used to begin to weep and were convicted of sin. He had not uttered a word. Why? Well, the explanation was that this man had come from the presence of God and the Spirit was poured forth. One of the results is something that can be seen even externally.

I am emphasizing this because I am convinced that the main trouble with most of us and with the church in general is that we seem to have forgotten the presence of the Spirit and the power of the Spirit. We have become so formal, with everything so set, so organized, all in the control of man- and have forgotten this other evidence, the power and the glory of the Spirit and the sanctity and the holiness. I am convinced that the greatest need of the church is to realize again the activity of the Holy Spirit. You see, we organize- organize meetings, organize campaigns, but that is because very largely we have forgotten this element that I am trying to emphasize to you. When the Spirit comes His evidence is unmistakable and the results are amazing and astounding.... Now I do not want to make an either/or issue of this, but I do wish to say this, that if you neglect this element all the rest will avail you nothing. In a sense this neglect has emptied the churches. And there is no hope until we return to the New Testament, the primitive pattern."

Martin Lloyd-Jones, Joy Unspeakable, Copyright © 1984, by Bethan Lloyd-Jones; pp. 115-122

via BA Purtle

My teaching on Jesus healing the boy with a demon and being the greatest in the kingdom from Luke 7. Notes. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

The Jews have been hated for being poor and for being wealthy; for being weak and for being powerful; for being too separate and for being too assimilated; for being religious and for being secular; for being stateless and now for having a state.

At some point, honest people must recognize that these contradictions expose something deeper than politics, economics, or sociology. The accusations change, but the hostility remains. The reasons are endlessly recycled because "the reasons" were never the real issue.

The Bible teaches that our struggle is not merely against flesh and blood, but against spiritual powers and principalities. Throughout history, there has been a relentless hatred directed toward the people through whom God chose to reveal Himself, give the Scriptures, bring forth the Messiah, and through whom He has promised yet to fulfill His covenant purposes.

Better to recognize this before Yeshua, the King and Messiah of Israel, judges the whole earth. - Joel Richardson

Antisemitism is not merely ordinary racism. It is the most persistent, ancient, irrational, adaptable, and uniquely obsessive hatred in human history. - Joel Richardson

“God of Israel” 

Ex. 5:1; 24:10; 32:27; 34:23; Num. 16:9; Josh. 7:13, 19f.; 8:30; 9:18f.; 10:40, 42; 13:14, 33; 14:14; 22:16, 24; 24:2, 23; Judg. 4:6; 5:3, 5; 6:8; 11:21, 23; 21:3; Ruth 2:12; 1 Sam. 1:17; 2:30; 5:7f., 10f.; 6:3, 5; 10:18; 14:41; 20:12; 23:10f.; 25:32, 34; 2 Sam. 7:27; 12:7; 23:3; 1 Kings 1:30, 48; 8:15, 17, 20, 23, 25f.; 11:9, 31; 14:7, 13; 15:30; 16:13, 26, 33; 17:1, 14; 22:53; 2 Kings 9:6; 10:31; 14:25; 18:5; 19:15, 20; 21:12; 22:15, 18; 1 Chron. 4:10; 5:26; 15:12, 14; 16:4, 36; 17:24; 22:6; 23:25; 24:19; 28:4; 29:10; 2 Chron. 2:12; 6:4, 7, 10, 14, 16f.; 11:16; 13:5; 15:4, 13; 20:19; 29:7, 10; 30:1, 5; 32:17; 33:16, 18; 34:23, 26; 36:13; Ezra 1:3; 3:2; 4:1, 3; 5:1; 6:14, 21f.; 7:6, 15; 8:35; 9:4, 15; Ps. 41:13; 59:5; 68:8, 35; 69:6; 72:18; 106:48; Isa. 17:6; 21:10, 17; 24:15; 29:23; 37:16, 21; 41:17; 45:3, 15; 48:1f.; 52:12; Jer. 7:3, 21; 9:15; 11:3; 13:12; 16:9; 19:3, 15; 21:4; 23:2; 24:5; 25:15, 27; 27:4, 21; 28:2, 14; 29:4, 8, 21, 25; 30:2; 31:23; 32:14f., 36; 33:4; 34:2, 13; 35:13, 17ff.; 37:7; 38:17; 39:16; 42:9, 15, 18; 43:10; 44:2, 7, 11, 25; 45:2; 46:25; 48:1; 50:18; 51:33; Ezek. 8:4; 9:3; 10:19f.; 11:22; 43:2; 44:2; Zeph. 2:9; Mal. 2:16; Matt. 15:31; Luke 1:68

“God of Abraham”

Gen. 24:12, 27, 42, 48; 26:24; 28:13; 31:42, 53; Ex. 3:6, 15f.; 4:5; 1 Kings 18:36; 1 Chron. 29:18; 2 Chron. 30:6; Ps. 47:9; Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37; Acts 3:13; 7:32

“God of Isaac” 

Gen. 28:13; 32:9; 46:1; Ex. 3:6, 15; 4:5; Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37; Acts 3:13

“God of Jacob” 

Ex. 3:6, 15; 4:5; 2 Sam. 23:1; Ps. 20:1; 24:6; 46:7, 11; 75:9; 76:6; 81:1, 4; 84:8; 94:7; 114:7; 146:5; Isa. 2:3; Mic. 4:2; Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37; Acts 3:13; 7:46

“God of your fathers(s)” 

Gen. 31:29; 43:23; 46:3; 49:25; 50:17; Ex. 3:6, 13, 15f.; Deut. 1:11, 21; 4:1; 6:3; 12:1; 27:3; Josh. 18:3; 1 Chron. 28:9; 2 Chron. 13:12; 28:9; 29:5; Ezra 8:28; 10:11; Acts 7:32

“God of their father(s)” 

Gen. 31:53; Ex. 4:5; Deut. 29:25; Judg. 2:12; 1 Chron. 5:25; 29:20; 2 Chron. 7:22; 11:16; 13:18; 14:4; 15:12; 19:4; 20:33; 24:18, 24; 28:6; 30:7, 22; 34:32f.; 36:15

“God of my father(s)” 

Gen. 31:5, 42; 32:9; Ex. 18:4; Dan. 2:23

“God of the Hebrews”

Ex. 3:18; 5:3; 7:16; 9:1, 13; 10:3

List compliled by John P. Harrigan, the Gospel of Christ Crucified, footnotes p.350

Who is "This Generation" in Matthew 24? with Jim Hamilton

The Pharisees came to Jesus seeking a sign from heaven (Mt 16:1) and lo! He stood right before them. - Bob Sorge

Theology 101: If Revelation had been written in the 60s and fulfilled in the 70s, that would have been an AMAZING apologetic fact for 2nd-century fathers to grasp onto and use!

Alas, 2nd-century fathers made no such use of Revelation and rather expected its FUTURE fulfillment. - Dr. Micheal Svigel

When Scripture feels foreign to you, you have two choices: Provide your own meaning to the text, or do the harder work of discovering the context. The apostles used sacrificial language because they understood the Temple, Torah, and Israel’s worship system. We need to get on their page, not the other way around. - Jacob Fronczack

Israel is God’s Vessel of Redemption

Jesus is Jewish for a reason.

Why do we struggle so much with the idea that God chose a particular people through whom He would bless all peoples?

From Abraham onward, God’s plan has always been universal blessing through a particular nation.

The covenants were given to Israel.

The Messiah came through Israel.

The gospel went out from Israel.

And the kingdom will be restored to Israel.

Gentiles are not blessed apart from God’s covenant purposes for the nation He chose. We are grafted into their promises, not the other way around.

Paul says that Israel’s rejection brought reconciliation to the world. What then will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (Romans 11:15)

Israel’s restoration is not a side issue. It is bound up with the resurrection hope of the nations.

Jesus is not ashamed of the people He elected.

He rejoices to be the Son of David, the King of Israel, and the head of the nation chosen to mediate blessing to the ends of the earth.

When He returns, Israel will finally fulfill her calling under His leadership, and all nations will be blessed through her.

Jesus lived, died, and rose again to make these things certain.

Believing in Jesus means believing He will fulfill the things He and His Father promised in the Law and Prophets. 

Maranatha! - Stephen Holmes

“The use of Ps. 118:26 is typological in originally depicting the king leading pilgrims to the temple and receiving a greeting of welcome from the priests at the temple, probably on the occasion of some major victory. This greeting/blessing recognized that the king and his entourage came with the Lord’s approval. . . . As it was then, so it should be in Jesus’ time. He should be welcomed as a leader and agent of God. The association of  Ps. 118 with eschatological hope and the Feast of Tabernacles also heightens the sense of nearness of eschatological fulfillment” - Darrell L. Bock, Luke 9:51–24:53

Theology 101: You can’t allege, “The early Christians would have read the book of Revelation this way…” when the only evidence is that the early Christians DIDN’T read the book of Revelation that way. - Dr. Michael Svigel

When they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel. (Matt 15:31)

Small miracles testify to God's ongoing commitment to the Ultimate Miracle of the resurrection and glorification of Israel. - John P. Harrigan

"This is the law of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the ordination offering, and of the peace offering, which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai" (Lev 7:37-38)

The sacrifices were designed to maintain Israel's covenant. So also was the sacrificial death of Israel's Messiah.

"God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins." (Act 5:3)

-John P. Harrigan

My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. (Ezekiel 37:12)

The hope of the resurrection of the dead developed out of Israel's covenant (cf Deut 30:3-5). The farther the resurrection is disassociated from the covenant, the more anemic it becomes. - John P. Harrigan

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. (1 Cor 9:25)

Eschatology sets the parameters of discipleship. Good eschatology motivates self-control in all things. - John P. Harrigan

With righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth... for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Isa 11:4,9)

We long for a Leader who has both the will and ability to lead the world into everlasting peace and prosperity. Maranatha - John P. Harrigan

How can you say you’ve placed your confidence in the Cornerstone of the church, if you’re not connected to what He’s building? - Bob Sorge