As the people of Galilee continue to come into contact with Jesus, they know something is different, but they can't all put their fingers on it. Is he a prophet? The Messiah? One woman who was a known sinner made a bold move, putting her faith in action.
Can faith and doubt exist in the same person? Am I unsaved if I have doubts? Do I have to have perfect faith in order to be saved? John the Baptist shows us it's okay to have questions about Jesus.
Jesus said that people who come to him, hear his words, and act on them, are like a person who built their house along a hurricane coast fully equipped to handle "the Big One."
“Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.” Does that mean having money is bad? And what are we supposed to do with this bit about loving your enemies? Or did we miss something in those 4 words: “Yours is the kingdom”?
The angels announced that Jesus’ birth meant “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth…” But if the word “peace” simply means “the absence of conflict” or “freedom from disturbances”, then the angels were full of garbage or Jesus did a terrible job and failed miserably at what he came to do.
In Luke 2:10, the angels show up to announce Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, and they say, “behold I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all people.”
And then these angels announced Jesus’ birth with three titles. Three titles that tell us who Jesus is and what he came to do. I would bet most of you have heard the story of Jesus’ birth, but the titles given by the angels give us a really good look at who Jesus is and what he came to accomplish.
Fear moves units off shelves. Fear sells products, runs governments, etc. But we’re commanded to be joyful and rejoice, even in the face of intense hardship. How does that work???
We use the word “hope” in situations of wishful thinking. “I hope it snows for Christmas.” But biblical hope isn’t based on something unpredictable, like weather. It’s based on something as predictable as the morning.
Jesus is the king who has come to establish his kingdom, but it comes not through political or military conquest – it comes by setting people free from things that held them captive. Sometimes that means demons are cast out. Other times it means idols of the heart are cast out.
Jesus tells a fisherman to do the impossible, touches a leper, and forgives the sin of a cripple who didn’t ask. The kingdom is here!
