Life's Inanities and Ironies

The book of Hebrews is one of the richest treasures in all of God’s Word. It unveils the absolute supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King of the new and better covenant. In chapters 4 and 5 the Holy Spirit presents our Savior as the Great High Priest who perfectly meets every need of His people. To fully appreciate the glory of Christ’s priesthood, we must first understand the qualifications and limitations of the Old Testament high priests. These men were living shadows, divinely appointed pictures that pointed forward to the substance—the sinless, eternal, and all-sufficient High Priest, Jesus Christ. As conservative Christians who hold without apology to the verbal, plenary inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture, we approach Hebrews 5:1-4 with reverence and expectation. Every word is God-breathed and profitable. Let us examine this passage carefully, verse by verse, and see how it exalts our Lord and instructs us in faith and practice. Verse 1 – Taken from Am...

A Biblical Exposition of Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, and Luke 21:33 In the closing days of His earthly ministry, as the shadow of the cross loomed large, our Lord Jesus Christ gathered His disciples on the Mount of Olives and unfolded a breathtaking panorama of future events. Amid wars, famines, earthquakes, persecutions, cosmic upheaval, and the glorious return of the Son of Man, He anchored every promise and every warning with one of the most majestic declarations ever uttered: > “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”   > — Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33 This statement, recorded with near-identical wording in all three Synoptic Gospels, is far more than a comforting aside. It is a divine guarantee that the very words of Christ possess an eternality that outlasts the created universe itself.T The Setting: The Olivet Discourse The context is critical. As Jesus and His disciples departed the Temple area, the disciples pointed out the g...

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence this July 4th, gratitude fills our hearts for the freedoms we enjoy in this blessed nation. Our founders declared liberty from tyranny, and generations since have defended the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness under God. We thank the Lord for the religious liberty that still allows us to open our Bibles, gather in His name, and proclaim the Gospel without fear of the sword. Yet as blood-bought children of God, we know there is a freedom far greater than any nation can grant or take away. The liberty that truly sets a soul free is the freedom from sin, death, and eternal condemnation that only Jesus Christ can give. The Apostle Paul declares in **Galatians 5:1** (KJV):   “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” What a glorious truth! Christ has set us free. Free from the penalty of sin. Free from its dominating p...

  As the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, those who cling to the inerrant Word of God and the fundamental truths of the Christian faith have abundant reason to give thanks. This singular document, forged in the furnace of trial and signed at the risk of life and fortune, stands as a powerful witness to the biblical reality that all legitimate rights and authority ultimately derive from the sovereign Creator.   The Long Train of Abuses: The Historical Necessity of Separation To grasp the full weight of the Declaration, we must understand the historical pressures that made it not merely desirable but necessary. In the years following the French and Indian War (1754–1763), Great Britain faced enormous debt and turned to the American colonies for revenue. What began with the Stamp Act of 1765 and the Townshend Acts soon revealed a pattern of tyranny. Colonists endured taxation without representation,...