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The Sermon on the Mount In January, Open Doors presented its 2018 World Watch List of which countries have the worst persecution of Christians. The organization reports that 215 million followers of Christ—about 1 in 12—live where their faith is “illegal, forbidden, or punished.” Top on the list is North Korea, which has filled that spot...

“Not My Will, But Yours Be Done” The Gethsemane Church of All Nations, also known as the Basilica of the Agony, was built in 1924 at the traditional site of the Garden of Gethsemane. Inside the church is a rock, now enclosed by a wrought-iron crown of thorns, said to be where Christ prayed on the night before His crucifixion. The church’s...

Mountain of Law versus Mountain of Grace Billy Graham spent his life preaching the gospel. Through his famous evangelistic crusades, he spoke directly to an estimated 215 million people in 185 countries. Countless millions more were reached through radio, television, books, magazines, and the internet. He said: “Our eyes ought to be on eternity...

Comfort and Glory “Go, tell it on the mountain,” the classic spiritual urges, “over the hills and everywhere; go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born. . . . Down in a lowly manger the humble Christ was born, and God sent us salvation that blessed Christmas morn.” Go tell it on the mountain indeed (v. 9)! The Gospel of Luke...

A New Revelation: The Son For many people, the best way to get into a swimming pool is not gradually wading into deeper waters but just jumping right in. That is what the anonymous author of Hebrews does in the opening prologue. Without giving the name of our subject, the letter immediately launches into the Son’s superior roles, which will...

The Son’s Superiority In his poem “As Kingfishers Catch Fire,” Gerard Manley Hopkins writes of the way God’s grace and light fill every aspect of our natural world. Near the end of the poem is Hopkins’s famous line, “Christ plays in ten thousand places,” which poetically underscores the idea that Christ’s presence can be seen in innumerable...

A Call to Attention Experienced sailors know the perils of drifting off course or running ashore on dangerous ground. The remedy is simple: pay attention to your surroundings. Only then can you avoid drifting into dangerous territory. Our passage today offers similar advice for the Christian life. If we are not careful, we can find ourselves...

Confidence in God’s Word to Us Parents who have to reprimand a child or give a stern warning about some danger know they do this out of love and a desire for something better for their child. The author of Hebrews held that same attitude toward his congregation: “Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things...

A New Priesthood Arises In the television program The Great British Baking Show, contestants in a baking competition must impress two demanding judges. One expects “sheer perfection” from her bakers; few ever deliver such a product. In our reading, perfection is also the goal, but the Levitical priesthood and the Law were unable to deliver...

Christ’s Superior Priesthood, Part 2 Have you ever been in a conversation with a friend in which you were explaining a complex argument? After working through all the pieces, you might end with a summary statement by saying, “The point I am trying to make is . . .” Today’s passage opens in a similar way. Having worked through the complex...