As Jacob continues toward Canaan in obedience to God’s call, he comes up against another significant obstacle: Esau is coming to meet him Genesis 32:1–12—preparing for conflict with a small army. Jacob’s reliance upon God’s covenant promises, and his humble prayer, are models for today’s Christians. We may pray with confidence as did Jacob, for […]

This episode looks at the testing of Jesus that comes on the heels of his baptism. At his baptism, the Father declares “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Satan comes to test that claim. But God has his own purposes as Jesus is led into the wilderness to demonstrate that […]

Psalm 2 speaks of rebellious kings conspiring together against the Lord and his anointed. But the outcome of such conspiracies is clear. The Son will have the earth as his possession.  Participants: Jim Cassidy, Mark A. Winder, Robert Arendale

In Eph 1:11–14 the Apostle Paul describes the glorious heavenly inheritance of the Christian. He seeks to encourage the Ephesian Christians—many of whom had given up earthly glory—by reminding them of an even greater glory in Christ. May Paul’s words be a wonderful encouragement to the church today! Participants: Jim Cassidy, Mark A. Winder, Robert […]

The narrative portions of Scripture serve to highlight the paradigm established by Genesis 3:15. In the story of Jacob and Laban we see primarily not a conflict between two human beings but a conflict between the one true God and the gods of Laban. Laban’s gods are helpless and put to shame. Jacob’s God fulfills […]

We embark on a study through a new book—Psalms. Jim Cassidy provides some important interpretive principles which he illustrates through a consideration of Psalm 1. Written for Israel, a nation under a theocracy, how do the Psalms manifest Christ, and how are they applicable to us today? How may it be said that the Christian […]

The baptism of Jesus is a pivotal event in the life of Christ and in all of redemptive history. In this episode, we explore its significance, seek to answer the question of why Jesus would need to undergo a baptism of repentance, and examine some of the thematic elements of his baptism. Participants: Joel Fick, […]

Jacob exhibits his faith as he responds in obedience to the Lord’s command to return to the land of his fathers. He had made a vow before the Lord, and the Lord now calls upon him to keep his vows. In this episode we see an appearance of “the angel of God,” who points Jacob […]

Repentance today is a byword. It conjures up images of a religious fanatic standing on a street corner with a cheap megaphone that more obscures the sound than amplifies it. But the call to repentance is divine grace. In this final chapter of Hosea, the Lord calls Israel to return to him. What a gift […]

In this episode we see how John, the last prophet of the Old Covenant, transitions us to the New Covenant era by announcing the arrival of the LORD in the person of Jesus Christ. The focus of the passage is not on the uniqueness of John the Baptist, but the uniqueness of the one toward […]