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There are two progressions in Scripture that appear to be manifested in our culture and in our times. These are not onward and upward progressions, but more of a downward spiral.
One of those progressions comes primarily from Proverbs where we are introduced to three kinds of people: the simple, the fool, and the scoffer. They are continually contrasted with the wise. We meet a...
If Jesus Rose from the Dead, then (#1) The Seal Was Broken
We don’t spend much time talking about the seal that was placed upon the tomb, but I think it is significant.
Here is the historical record:
The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he w...
It’s hard to stop looking at the photo: a dad and his daughter. She was gunned down while in school in Nashville this week. Nine years old. A horrible tragedy that I can’t get out of my mind. Not only because of what the parents are going through, but the stupidity of our culture.
I know that it is bad form today to use the word stupid. The Bible doesn’t shy from this:
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It is dangerous to ignore the reality of Satan and his forces. I am NOT a person who sees a demon behind every bush, but to run to the other side of the continuum and act as if there is no spiritual warfare is folly and contrary to plain biblical teaching. We forget this to our peril:
“I am certain that one of the main causes for the ill-state of the church today lies in the fact th...
On Election Day, at lunchtime, I was at a park in Colorado Springs. On one corner of the park sits one of our big high schools. It was a nice day (normal for the Springs) and the students filled the park, several making out lying on the grass. On the opposite corner stood a young man, conservatively dressed, holding an American flag and a Trump sign. He had a radio on the ground, not very loud,...
[preface]
It may surprise some to think that this would be listed as an attribute of God. Certainly, you would not find it in the classics of Pink or Charnock.
But I think it is an important aspect of who God is and what He has done for us. We will attempt to wrestle with what it means when Jesus said He was “the door” and especially the “only” door:
“I ...
Nothing is judged more severely by our culture today than assertions of biblical male and female absolutes. It may be possible that we are in the final progression of God giving our culture up to first “sexual impurity” then “shameful lusts” and finally a “depraved mind”. And throughout all of this, true human sexuality has been the prime target. The enemy tu...
In the luxury of a culture where even the lower economic classes live like kings compared to the world’s poor, we have become immensely spoiled. We are lavished with bins overflowing with fresh fruit and vegetables in the dead of winter, aisles full of choice cut-meats, acres of shelves filled with more products than anyone could possibly want, stores with racks of clothes and shoes of ev...
If Jesus Rose from the Dead, then (#2) the Stone Was Rolled Away
Here is the historical record:
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like light...
One of the most fascinating aspects of God’s nature is that He delegates authority and power. We see this from the very beginning of creation when He grants to plants and animals and human beings the authority and responsibility to reproduce, to be fruitful, to multiply and fill the earth. He even delegates to man the privilege to ask God’s Hand to move, such that if he does not ask...
by Del Tackett
