A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green

Justice, Mercy And Faithfulness

Jesus chastised the Pharisees for overlooking “the more important matters of the law” (Matthew 23:23). He identified these as justice, mercy and faithfulness. Whether these three things alone constitute the most important matters or are representative of them is a discussion worth having, but this much is clear: justice, mercy and faithfulness are top tierContinue reading “Justice, Mercy And Faithfulness”

Jesus And The Fulfillment Of Scripture

In Matthew 5:17 Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Fourteen times Matthew will speak of Scripture being fulfilled by Jesus. Fulfillment is much more than the raw idea that the Scripture predicted something, and JesusContinue reading “Jesus And The Fulfillment Of Scripture”

God’s Wish For The World

“A baby is God’s way of saying the world should go on.” Who doesn’t smile (at least on the inside) at those words? The birth of a child carries its own inherent joy and celebration. It doesn’t need to be linked to anything else. So when with these words you connect it to God andContinue reading “God’s Wish For The World”

Forever In Gratitude

I remember playing pickup basketball one day at the YMCA when we lived in South Carolina when a couple of guys came in to play. Teams were being picked and we were deciding who was going to guard who and no one wanted to guard one of the guys so I said I would. IContinue reading “Forever In Gratitude”

Faith In Our Father

It’s easy to read the story of the rich young man of Matthew 19:16-26 as a statistical outlier. To be rich and young was not common in the first century (or today). In those times, it would have suggested royalty (which Luke’s account verifies). Beyond that, Jesus told him to sell his possessions and giveContinue reading “Faith In Our Father”

Dealing Decisively With Sin

It can be a challenge to see sin for what it is—especially when it’s our sin. Sensitive people fight the tendency to make too much of their sin and see themselves as the chief of sinners while the less sensitive struggle not to trivialize their transgressions. For all of us, there’s the need for aContinue reading “Dealing Decisively With Sin”

Dead Ends, Predators, And Rotten Fruit

Here’s a text that we need to keep in its context if we are to fully appreciate all that it has to say to us. Just imagine Jesus, itinerant preacher with his rag-tag group of disciples, the carpenter from Galilee who has done no formal study of the Torah (via a rabbi), standing up and takingContinue reading “Dead Ends, Predators, And Rotten Fruit”

Not Trending On Twitter

The people of God look a little strange at times from the world’s point of view. That’s not a 21st century phenomenon or a failure of the church—it’s always been the case. In the first century, Paul told the disciples at Corinth who were part of the wisdom worshipping Greek culture that “in the wisdomContinue reading “Not Trending On Twitter”

(D)anger

Murder is a hit man, a killer for hire! Cold, calculating, ready and willing to terminate someone’s life for the right price. Such a blatant disregard for life is disgusting, isn’t it? No one who hires themselves out to take someone else’s life can be innocent in any sense of the word. You shall notContinue reading “(D)anger”

Crumbs From The King

Jesus is not acting very “Jewish” in Matthew 15. He goes on record as saying (in front of the Pharisees no less), that food does not defile (v. 10-12). He then withdraws into Gentile territory (v. 21), where He is pursued by a Canaanite woman (v. 22). Is Matthew is trying to tell us something?Continue reading “Crumbs From The King”