Tag: Blog

Barren/ Believers/ Christ/ Christians/ Faithful/ Fig Tree/ Fruit/ Fruitful/ Fruitfulness/ Fruitlessness/ Frustration/ God/ God's Judgment/ Hungry/ Hypocrites/ Intercession/ Israel/ Jesus/ Lord/ Messiah/ Ministry/ Patience/ Savior/ Spiritual/ Tree

Looking for Fruit

admin Barren, Believers, Blog, Christ, Christians, Erik Garthe, Faithful, Fig Tree, Fruit, Fruitful, Fruitfulness, Fruitlessness, Frustration, God, God’s Judgment, Hungry, Hypocrites, Intercession, Israel, Jesus, Looking for Fruit, Lord, Messiah, Ministry, No Longer Conformed, Patience, Savior, Spiritual, Tree 0 Comment January 3, 2022

Matthew 21:18-22 is the record of Jesus and the fig tree event. Why did He curse it? Was He expressing frustration because He was hungry and couldn’t find anything to eat? We might do that but not Jesus. Consider More →

Blind/ Burnt Offerings/ Buyers and Sellers/ Chief Priests/ Court of the Gentiles/ David/ Den of Thieves/ Gift/ God/ Holy Spirit/ Hosanna/ House of Prayer/ Jerusalem/ King/ Lame/ Leaders/ Lord/ Multitudes/ non-Jews/ Sacrifice/ Scribes/ Sins/ Son of David/ Temple

The King is in Town, Part 2

admin Blind, Blog, Burnt Offerings, Buyers and Sellers, Chief Priests, Court of the Gentiles, David, Den of Thieves, Erik Garthe, Gift, God, Holy Spirit, Hosanna, House of Prayer, Jerusalem, King, Lame, Leaders, Lord, Multitudes, No Longer Conformed, non-Jews, Sacrifice, Scribes, Sins, Son of David, Temple, The King is in Town - Part 2 0 Comment December 27, 2021

When Jesus arrived triumphantly in Jerusalem, what did He do? Did He teach the multitudes? No. Did He converse with the leaders? No. Did He bask in all the praise? No. He went straight into the More →

Bethphage/ Creator/ Cross/ Deity/ Freedom/ God/ God's Word/ Gospels/ Homage/ Hosanna/ Isaiah/ Jerusalem/ Jesus/ Jesus Christ/ King/ King of the Jews/ Lord/ Messianic/ Multitudes/ Omniscience/ Owner/ Passover/ Plan of Salvation/ Prophecy/ Prophet/ Romans/ Royalty/ Sacrificial Lamb/ Son of David/ Throne/ Town/ Zechariah

The King is in Town, Part 1

admin Bethphage, Blog, Creator, Cross, Deity, Erik Garthe, Freedom, God, God’s Word, Gospels, Homage, Hosanna, Isaiah, Jerusalem, Jesus, Jesus Christ, King, King of the Jews, Lord, Messianic, Multitudes, No Longer Conformed, Omniscience, Owner, Passover, Plan of Salvation, Prophecy, Prophet, Romans, Royalty, Sacrificial Lamb, Son of David, The King is in Town - Part 1, Throne, Town, Zechariah 0 Comment December 20, 2021

Matthew 21:1-11 records that point where all four gospels converge and together narrate the final movement of Jesus to the cross. The King arrived in Jerusalem but He didn’t take His throne: He had other work More →

Ask/ Bless/ Difficulties/ Discouraged/ Example/ Exhortations/ Faith/ Garden/ Gracious/ Heart/ Help/ Hindrances/ Importunate Widow/ Jacob/ Jesus/ Lord/ Loyal/ Mercy/ Miracles/ Multitude/ Opposition/ Pray/ Prayer/ Problem/ Silenced/ Throne of Grace

Ask Jesus for Help

admin Ask, Ask Jesus for Help, Bless, Blog, Difficulties, Discouraged, Erik Garthe, Example, Exhortations, Faith, Garden, Gracious, Heart, Help, Hindrances, Importunate Widow, Jacob, Jesus, Lord, Loyal, Mercy, Miracles, Multitude, No Longer Conformed, Opposition, Pray, Prayer, Problem, Silenced, Throne of Grace 0 Comment December 13, 2021

Matthew 20:29-34 gives exhortations regarding prayer. First, pray with sincere faith—“Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” (v. 30) As blind as these two men were, they believed that Jesus could help them, though they never saw More →

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Paradox of Christianity (B)

admin Actions, Authority, Blog, Christian Service, Christianity, Comfort, Commit, Criticism, Demeaning, Disciples, Discomfort, Erik Garthe, Example, Excuses, Gentiles, Gift of God, Giving, Grace, Heart, Jesus, Judges, Lead, Life, Lord, Lower Class, Ministry, No Longer Conformed, Offensive, Paradox, Paradox of Christianity (B), Ransom, Rulers, Sacrificially, salvation, Servanthood, Serve, Served, Service, Slave, Society, Son of Man, Uncategorized, Works, World’s Wisdom 0 Comment December 6, 2021

The heart of Christianity is giving sacrificially, and the soul is service: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28) The term “servant” is offensive in today’s More →

Authority/ Believers/ Christ/ Christianity/ Disciples/ Eternal Life/ Glory/ God/ God's Kingdom/ Gospel Message/ Greatness/ Human Nature/ James/ Jesus/ Jesus Christ/ John/ King Herod/ Kingdom/ Leadership/ Paradox/ Power/ Ransom/ Sacrifice/ Son of Man/ Suffer/ Unbelievers/ Uncategorized/ world

Paradox of Christianity (A)

admin Authority, Believers, Blog, Christ, Christianity, Disciples, Erik Garthe, Eternal Life, Glory, God, God’s Kingdom, Gospel Message, Greatness, Human Nature, James, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John, King Herod, Kingdom, Leadership, No Longer Conformed, Paradox, Paradox of Christianity (A), Power, Ransom, Sacrifice, Son of Man, Suffer, Unbelievers, Uncategorized, world 0 Comment November 29, 2021

Have you ever said something that you regretted later? Matthew 20:20-28 could be titled, “What was I thinking?” The mother of James and John made a request of Jesus, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand More →

Arrest/ Chief Priests/ Christ/ Cross/ Crucified/ Crucifixion/ Death/ Die/ Disciples/ Encouragement/ Eternal Perspective/ Eternal Promises/ Followers/ Glory/ God/ Jerusalem/ Jesus/ Journey/ Mocked/ Pain/ Passover/ Paul/ Plan/ Reassurance/ Resurrection/ Reward/ Sacrifice/ Scandal/ Scourged/ Scribes/ Son of Man/ Suffering

Suffering, Death, and Resurrection

admin and Resurrection, Arrest, Blog, Chief Priests, Christ, Cross, Crucified, Crucifixion, Death, Die, Disciples, Encouragement, Erik Garthe, Eternal Perspective, Eternal Promises, Followers, Glory, God, Jerusalem, Jesus, Journey, Mocked, No Longer Conformed, Pain, Passover, Paul, Plan, Reassurance, Resurrection, Reward, Sacrifice, Scandal, Scourged, Scribes, Son of Man, Suffering 0 Comment November 21, 2021

On Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem and the cross, Matthew 20:17-19 marks the third time He told His disciples of His coming suffering. He was going there to celebrate the Passover, More →

Agreement/ Believers/ Blessings/ Christ/ Christians/ Conversion/ Cross/ Death/ Debtor/ Denarius/ Employer/ Glory/ God/ God's Business/ God's Kingdom/ Grace of God/ Heaven/ Jesus/ Kingdom of Heaven/ Labor/ Laborers/ Landowner/ Level/ Lord's Vineyard/ Marketplace/ Master/ New Life/ Parable/ Payment/ Reward/ salvation/ Vineyard/ Wages/ Worker/ Workplace/ world

Level at the Cross

admin Agreement, Believers, Blessings, Blog, Christ, Christians, Conversion, Cross, Death, Debtor, Denarius, Employer, Erik Garthe, Glory, God, God’s Business, God’s Kingdom, Grace of God, Heaven, Jesus, Kingdom of Heaven, Labor, Laborers, Landowner, Level, Level at the Cross, Lord’s Vineyard, Marketplace, Master, New Life, No Longer Conformed, Parable, Payment, Reward, salvation, Vineyard, Wages, Worker, Workplace, world 0 Comment November 15, 2021

“For the kingdom of heaven is like …” begins the parable of Matthew 20:1-16. Verse 16 is key to understanding the parable: “the last will be first, and the first last.” God is debtor to no man—some who start later do more More →

Attitudes/ Camel/ Confession/ Disciples/ Eternal Life/ Eye of a Needle/ Faith/ First/ God/ Heart/ Impossible/ Jesus/ Kingdom of God/ Last/ Lord/ Obey/ Outward Appearance/ Peter/ Poor/ Possessions/ Possible/ Priest/ Reward/ Rich Young Man/ Righteousness/ salvation/ Samuel/ Sin/ Sincere Heart/ Sorrowful/ Treasure in Heaven

What Kind of Heart?

admin Attitudes, Blog, Camel, Confession, Disciples, Erik Garthe, Eternal Life, Eye of a Needle, Faith, First, God, Heart, Impossible, Jesus, Kingdom of God, Last, Lord, No Longer Conformed, Obey, Outward Appearance, Peter, Poor, Possessions, Possible, Priest, Reward, Rich Young Man, Righteousness, salvation, Samuel, Sin, Sincere Heart, Sorrowful, Treasure in Heaven, What Kind of Heart 0 Comment November 8, 2021

God told the priest Samuel, “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) The account of the rich young man in Matthew 19:16-30 demonstrates how the Lord deals with More →

Adultery/ Authority of the Law/ Certificate of Divorce/ Disciples/ Divorce/ Exception Clause/ Forgiveness/ God's Plan/ Hardness of Heart/ Hillel/ Hillelites/ Jesus/ Liberal/ Marriage/ Moses/ One Flesh/ Pharisees/ Reconciliation/ Remarriage/ Restoration/ Sexual Immorality/ Shammai/ Shammaites/ Spouse/ Standard/ Teachings

About Divorce Again

admin About Divorce Again, Adultery, Authority of the Law, Blog, Certificate of Divorce, Disciples, Divorce, Erik Garthe, Exception Clause, Forgiveness, God’s Plan, Hardness of Heart, Hillel, Hillelites, Jesus, Liberal, Marriage, Moses, No Longer Conformed, One Flesh, Pharisees, Reconciliation, Remarriage, Restoration, Sexual Immorality, Shammai, Shammaites, Spouse, Standard, Teachings 0 Comment November 1, 2021

Jesus first spoke on divorce in Matthew 5:31-32. Here in Matthew 19:1-15, is another attempt to trick Jesus regarding marriage and divorce, with three appeals. First, an appeal to traditions More →