The Cross and the Crown

In one of the most famous Bible passages known today, what does Jesus mean when he calls his followers to "judge not?" What happens when we keep reading? 

In this next passage on the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus examines the connection between what we treasure and what/Who we serve. How does Jesus' call to cast off anxiety and seek first His kingdom and …

In this next passage of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explains true and proper fasting. Immediately after calling us to pray for daily bread, we are called to fast. How does prayer and fasting help …

What does Jesus mean when he calls us to pray "lead us not into temptation?" How does this prayer teach us to rely upon God to deliver us from evil and the evil one? How does the example of Jesus and…

As we explore this next phrase in the Lord's Prayer, how does the forgiveness we recieve relate to the forgiveness we offer others who sin against us? How does the grace of God glorify God? Why is it…

How does our reliance upon God's provision glorify the Father's name? How is this theme of reliance upon God for our daily bread threaded throughout the whole of the Scriptures? How can we learn to t…

Psalm 51 offers the believer a crash course on true repentence. Is there grace for our deepest moral failures? Will God forgive the most grievous of sin? How can a holy God remain just in doing so? I…

Psalm 42 and 43 teach us how to fight through difficult seasons of life, and how (and what) to preach to ourselves amidst trials and depression. 

Life is short. Our opinions are not. How does a right understanding of God temper our tongues, draw us into honest prayer, and help us learn to count our days and smile again as sojourners in search …

Psalm 31 paints a picture of urgency, honesty, and trust in distress. The Lord quotes this Psalm upon the cross. As David proclaimed the love of the Lord while extending a call to be strong and take …

How is the will of God done in Heaven? How does Jesus exemplify the Father's will done on earth as it is in Heaven? How does the Lord's prayer align our will to the will of the Father? 

How does Jesus' teaching about the Kingdom of God shape how we pray "your kingdom come and will be done on earth as it is in Heaven?"

When the Lord challenges us to pray "Your Kingdom come... on earth as it is in heaven," how would his immediate audience have understood this concept? 

The Lord's Prayer aligns us with God's own heart. Its first declaration is for the hallowing of God's name. How does this drive us deeper into the heart of God's desire and our chief purpose in life?

Before leading his disciples how to pray, Jesus spends significant time explaining how not to pray. This helps us understand the Lord's Prayer with greater depth. 

Psalm 25 paints for us picture of a believer after God's own heart. We see the beauty of the God we stand in awe of... the God of our salvation who calls us friend. 

What are the implications of the ascension and exaltation of Jesus? How does this lead us to place of humility and confidence in our daily walk? How does this spur us into an unflinchable pursuit of …

Why does the acsension and exaltation of Christ after the resurrection matter? What prominence did the early church place on it in their preaching and teaching? 

How does the book of Hebrews as a whole, and chapter eleven specifically, call us to rest and run by faith in the supremacy of the person and work of Christ amidst our sufferings? What is faith? What…

In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us about giving, prayer, and fasting. How can we guard against hypocrisy in our giving? Why is it so crucial to align our hearts to the Giver…