His Teachings

By David Maas
{TEACHINGS OF JESUS}

[Click on the title below to open an article]


{SERMON ON THE MOUNT}
  1. The Greater Lawgiver - {PDF Copy} - (In Matthew, Jesus is the Greater Moses who interprets the Law and the Prophets and brings them to fulfillment)
  2. Fulfillment - Law and Prophets - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus came to bring all this is promised and foreshadowed in the Hebrew scriptures to fulfillment)
  3. Love your Enemy - {PDF Copy} - (Acts of mercy and love are the defining characteristics of the true disciple and of the nature of God)
  4. Absolute Authority - {PDF Copy} - (At the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus claims absolute authority for his words)
  5. Responding to Persecutors - {PDF Copy} - (When Christians react to hostility with hostility, whether from government, society, or individuals, Satan triumphs)
  6. The Merciful are Blessed - {PDF Copy} - (When disciples react to hostility with hostility, whether by government, society, or individuals, Satan triumphs)

{KINGDOM OF GOD}
  1. For All Nations - {PDF Copy} - (The gospel of the kingdom announced by Jesus is a message of life for men and women of every nation)
  2. The Light of the World - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus is the only true light in the world, a light that shines all the brighter in the darkness, and this light means life for men and women)
  3. His Kingdom - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus proclaimed a new political reality, the Kingdom of God, and it bore little resemblance to the political systems of this world)
  4. The Mission of the Church - {PDF Copy} - (The mission of the church between now and the return of Jesus is to announce the Good News of his Kingdom to all nations)
  5. The Message of the Gospel - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus summons his disciples to proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God in every inhabited corner of the earth)
  6. Parable of the Sower - {PDF Copy} - (The Son of Man sows the seed of the gospel in the world where it grows into the kingdom of God until the end of the age)
  7. Kingdom Parables - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 4:21-34 - Jesus taught several parables about the kingdom of God, its unexpected ways of expansion, and its status in the world)
  8. The Unpardonable Sin - {PDF Copy} - (A line is crossed when what God’s Spirit is doing in Jesus is attributed to Satan)
  9. Jesus and Added Tradition - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus undermines the religious rationale for dietary restrictions. With the Messiah’s arrival, old rituals have lost their relevance)
  10. Days of Noah - {PDF Copy} - (Just as the unprepared were destroyed by the Flood, so unrepentant men and apostates will be overtaken by destruction when Jesus returns)
  11. On the Way - {PDF Copy} - (On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus explains to his disciples just what it means to be the Messiah of Israel)
  12. Servant of the Kingdom - {PDF Copy} - (His disciples are summoned to lives of self-sacrificial service to others, just as Jesus gave his life as the ransom price for many)
  13. The Way of the Cross - {PDF Copy} - (To follow Jesus wherever he goes necessitates a lifetime of self-denial and sacrificial service for others)

{THE FUTURE}
  1. Fruitless Temple - {PDF Copy} - (The cursing of the barren fig tree symbolizes the coming destruction of the Temple and the fruitlessness of Israel)
  2. Desolate Temple - {PDF Copy} - (When he left the Temple for the last time, Jesus pronounced its coming desolation to his opponents)
  3. In the Temple - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus gave his discourse on Olivet following his final and prophetic departure from the Temple)
  4. Geographic Scope - {PDF Copy} - (The Olivet Discourse presents two key events linked to different geographic contexts, one regional, the other global)
  5. Deceivers and False Prophets - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus warns us of coming false prophets, deceivers who will mislead many and disseminate false information about the future)
  6. Abomination of Desolation - {PDF Copy} - (When disciples see the Abomination of Desolation standing where it ought not, they must flee Jerusalem without delay)
  7. The Sign of the End - {PDF Copy} - (The end will not come until this gospel of the kingdom of God is proclaimed to all nations)
  8. His Repeated Warning - {PDF Copy} - (On the Mount of Olives, Jesus reiterated key information that is necessary for his disciples to avoid deception by false prophets)
  9. Knowing Times and Seasons - {PDF Copy} - (Instead of calculating times and seasons, followers of Jesus must always be prepared for his sudden arrival)
  10. The Days of Noah - {PDF Copy} - (Just as the unprepared were destroyed by the Flood, so also, the unprepared will be overtaken with destruction when Jesus returns in glory)
  11. Coming on the Clouds - {PDF Copy} - (The whole earth will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds when he gathers his elect to himself)
  12. "This Generation" - {PDF Copy} - (The generation contemporary with Jesus witnessed the events that he predicted that culminated in the destruction of the Temple)

POPULAR POSTS

Ekklésia - Assembly of God

By David Maas
The New Testament usage of the term “assembly” is based on the image of Israel assembled before Yahweh for worship in the Hebrew Bible. The Greek noun rendered “church” in English is ekklésia , meaning “assembly, congregation.” In secular Greek it may refer to an “assembly” of citizens gathered to conduct matters of state; however, that is not the sense found in the New Testament.
Read more

Sanctuary of God

By David Maas
Paul consistently applies the term “ sanctuary of God ” to the church, and he also uses related language when describing Christian congregations, terms used originally in the Hebrew Bible for the Tabernacle and Temple. While the Apostle’s language is metaphorical, it describes new realities and the identity of God’s new covenant people.
Read more