John the Baptist: The Forerunner
Read: Matthew 3:1-12 The last of the Old Testament prophets was also the first character in the story of Jesus’ ministry. His name was John the Baptist, and his mission was to be the forerunner of Christ. Each of the New Testament gospel writers agrees that the story of Jesus’ ministry begins with the appearance in […]
Ezekiel: Prophet of Hope
Read: Ezekiel 2:3-7, Ezekiel 3:4-11 Ezekiel the prophet saw many strange visions during the course of his ministry, and one of them offers you a hope you might not have thought possible for yourself. Ezekiel is one of those books that was included in the Bible to keep us humble. Ezekiel the prophet lived among the Jewish […]
Isaiah: Prophet of Holiness
Read: Isaiah 6:1-8, Isaiah 1:14-17 Do you know everything you need to know about God? Why not listen to what the great prophet Isaiah tells us about him. We live in a Bible-ignorant age. There have never been as many versions and translations of the Bible available as there are today. There are Bibles for children, Bibles […]
Hosea: Prophet of Love
Read: Hosea 1:1-3, Hosea 3:1-2, Hosea 6:4-6, Hosea 11:1-4 If your image of a biblical prophet is of a stern, angry, bearded figure who does nothing but hurl condemnation at everyone, let me introduce you to the prophet Hosea. We’re considering the message of another of the remarkable Hebrew prophets, Hosea. In the arrangement of the modern Bible, Hosea […]
Joel: Prophet of Repentance
Read: Joel 2:1-3, 30-32, Joel 3:12-13, 16 Have you ever thought about the coming day of Judgment? People ought to! And God’s spokesman Joel tells us what to do to be ready for that awesome day. The end-times are a hot topic nowadays. Books, articles, pamphlets and sermons are all addressing the subject with increasing frequency. Part […]
Amos: Prophet of Justice
Read: Amos 2:6-12, Amos 3:2 Listen with me to the stern message that God’s spokesman Amos delivered to a people who were prosperous, powerful, and proud. There is an old saying: “Don’t kill the messenger for bringing bad news.” It isn’t fair, of course, but it still happens. Someone honestly and without malice relays news we don’t […]
Elijah: Prophet of Courage
Read: 1 Kings 18:17-39 When it comes to the hard choices in life, many people like to put them off. But one of God’s greatest spokesmen can help us make the most important choice of all. In the ancient world, every tribe had a special class of religious leaders. They were called by different names—shamans, witch […]
God Has Spoken
Read: Hebrews 1:1-4 Over the years God spoke his word to people through many different prophets. But when he wanted to communicate his most important message, God sent his Son into the world. Think of the amazing revolution in communications we have witnessed over the past hundred years. First was the telephone, towards the end of […]
When You’re Condemning Yourself
Read: Romans 8:1 Nobody likes to feel guilty, least of all when you’re the one condemning yourself. You can try to stifle your conscience or you can use the gospel way to deal with feelings of condemnation. “I can’t forgive myself after what I’ve done . . . I hate myself for the way I’ve acted […]