Emmaus

“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him” (Luke 2:25 NKJV). Simeon is a great example of how to celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Simeon was righteous and devout which led him to wait for the Consolation of Israel - the Messiah (Luke 2:25-26) Many folks in Israel were experiencing great injustice, and so they were praying for the Mes

“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matt. 2:11 NKJV). Shortly after the birth of the Lord Jesus, there arrived in Jerusalem “ wise men ” from the east who came to visit the Christ child. It is believed that they were Medes or Persians. The word translated “ wise men ” ( magi ) refers to a gr

“For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:20 NKJV). Too many Christians are living careless lives. This reflects their failure to recognize their obligations to God. In this verse, the apostle Paul gives some needed counsel for Christians. He speaks of the Christian’s price, purpose, and possession. Price – “ You were bought at a price .” This refers to the cost of our salvation and that redemption w

“Each one’s work will become clear; for the day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is” (1 Cor. 3:13 NKJV). The focus of this verse is on the examination of our Christian service. The verse is not speaking about salvation but about service. Thus, we want to note the manifestation in the examining, the method of the examining, and the measure in the examining. Manifestation in the examining – “ Every

“Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 106:1 NKJV). This Psalm begins with the Psalmist urging all God’s people to give thanks to the Lord, who is unceasingly good, a goodness that flows out of His unfailing mercy (steadfast love). Thus, we want to note the call to praise, and the cause for praise. The Call to Praise - This Psalm begins by calling people to praise God. The multitude for praise – “ Praise the L

“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body” (1 Cor. 6:18NKJV). Our text is not one that is well received in our society today as it addresses the matter of morals. The text is plain and easy to understand, and we need to pay attention to what it says. Thus, we want to note the two important lessons - the command for moral purity and the curse on moral pollution. Command for moral pu

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Cor. 3:6 NKJV). Here we have a very helpful verse about service. It speaks of the difference in tasks, the dependence of tasks, and the dynamic for tasks. Difference in tasks - “ I planted, Apollos watered .” Here the apostle Paul is highlighting the fact that in serving the Lord, we all have not been given the same tasks. He did the planting, but Apollos did the watering. God has wisely given each believer differ

“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Rom. 15:4 NKJV). Here the apostle Paul is speaking about the Old Testament, but what he says applies today to the entire Bible. The Bible was written for our learning. The greatest of all learning is the learning we get from the Scriptures as it instructs us in the most important matters of life. In this verse the apostle Paul s

“So then each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:12 NKJV). This verse tells us that we will all have to give an account of our lives. To examine this text, we want to note the people who will give an account, the personalness in giving an account, and the Person to whom we will give an account. People – “ Each one of us .” This matter of giving an account of our lives is an event every person will have to do. Every person in every land in every age in th

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good” (Rom. 12:9 NKJV). This verse describes the character of true love. It exhorts us to have a love that is not hypocritical. There are two qualifying characteristics given for love not to be hypocritical: abhorrence of evil and affection for good. Abhorrence of evil - “ Abhor what is evil .” The word “ abhor ” means to hate something. It is a very strong word and denotes a very strong attitude. Many f