After the people put God to the test, He sends deadly serpents among them. The terrified Israelites beg Moses to appeal to the Lord to end this plague. However, rather than removing the serpents, the Lord gives peculiar instructions. He tells Moses to put a bronze serpent on a pole, to which anyone bitten by […]
Sexual temptation has been a favorite strategy of Satan to destroy God’s people through the ages. In exchange for a little short-term pleasure of the flesh, this road leads to spiritual enslavement and death. In our time, the internet has made pornography so easily accessible that many believers, especially men, have become enslaved to this […]
In Psalm 91, David speaks of one who will face frightening things. In the midst of evil, this person will find protection in God and trample the lion, dragon and snake. Ironically, Satan uses this psalm to tempt Jesus into sin. Yet the wisdom in Psalm 91, and the example of our Lord, prepares us […]
As he concludes his letter, Peter warns the Christians to be sober and vigilant as they face another form of suffering: the attacks of the devil. Peter compares Satan to a lion, seeking to devour the children of God. Unlike most modern Christian teachers, Jesus and the New Testament writers frequently mention Satan. In this […]
In Exodus 26 we turn to the specific instructions God gives Moses regarding the fabric that would cover the inside of the temple. One might wonder what we can learn from this, yet as we have seen, the details of the tabernacle foreshadow spiritual realities and provide valuable insight into the Christian life. As the […]
After the people complain of hunger, God gives manna, a daily bread from heaven. The Lord also gives two commands related to collecting the manna; the Israelites disobey both. There is much for us to learn from in this story: lessons about God's nature and provision, His expectation and desire that we love, obey and […]
When Moses and Aaron ask Pharaoh to let God’s people go, Pharaoh increases the oppression against the Israelites, and has them flogged when they fail to meet their quotas. The exodus drama provides us with a pattern of our Christian spiritual journey, with Pharaoh a type or representation of Satan. Here we gain insights into […]
In this passage John challenges us to "abide in Him" in order that we be prepared for the Day of Judgment. Persevering all the way to the end can seem overwhelming, and so we consider the practical approach of Dr. William Osler, a Christian physician who advocated living life in separate "day-tight" compartments. We also […]
To Destroy the Works of the Devil (1 John 2:28-3:7) View Lesson
This passage begins with the perplexing statement: "You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come..." This is the first place in Scripture where the word "antichrist" appears, and it is only found in 1 John and 2 John. How did John’s readers already know that the Antichrist is coming? Who or […]
In John 8 Jesus called his enemies "sons of the devil." He then describes Satan as a murder from the beginning, a liar, and the father of lies. Although Jesus had much to say about Satan, many professing Christians today do not even believe in the existence of Satan as a real spiritual being with a personality. […]
The Liar and Father of Lies (Satan) (John 8:37-50) View Lesson