Questions to Aid Textual Interpretation Taken from James W. Cox in Preaching What is the text about? Worship, God, the church, etc. What does the text mean to you? Your first impression is likely to be the understanding of the average reader of the text, so it is a good place to begin. What is […]

Daily Quiet Time with God Four Reasons for a Daily Time with God— This hour is vital to spiritual growth (1 Pet 2:2-3; Heb 5:14). This hour is vital to spiritual cleansing (Ps 119:9; Jn 15:3; Jn 17:17). This hour is vital to spiritual counsel (2 Tim 4:16; Ps 73:24). This hour is vital to […]

Can You Hear Me Now? (Matthew 13; Fulfillment of Psalm 78:1-4) In Matthew 13, we find several parables. Why did Jesus teach in so many parables? Matthew uses prophecy to explain Jesus’ fondness of parables. What is a “parable”? We often say that a parable is an “earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” The Greek […]

A Mother’s Love (Matthew 2:16-18; Fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:15) Our next prophecy in the Book of Matthew occurs at Matthew 2:16-18. This is a “difficult” prophecy. It’s difficult because it is another typological prophecy; the original prophecy doesn’t sound anything like the way Matthew uses it. It’s difficult because this is one of the most […]

Thou Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-8; Fulfillment of Micah 5:2) The next Messianic prophecy in Matthew occurs in Matthew 2:1-8. There is little doubt but that Micah 5:2, the passage Matthew references, is a direct prophecy fulfilled only in the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. This was a well-known prophecy in the days of Jesus. The chief […]