Posts by Josh Moody
Acts 3: Silver or Gold Have I None
Genesis 12-14, Psalm 5, Matthew 3:1-12, Acts 3 Acts 3: We come now to one of the most famous stories about the early disciples and the miracles of the apostles. Peter and John go up to pray. Note how they are regular in their activities of prayer and worship in God’s house. Biblical Christianity is always a faith…
Read MoreActs 2:22-47: Empowering of the Spirit
Genesis 9-11, Psalm 4, Matthew 2:13-23, Acts 2:22-47 Acts 2:22-47: We are in the middle of the day of Pentecost. And Peter is giving his famous Pentecost sermon. He is continuing to argue that this (the experience of the Spirit) is that (what Joel and the prophets had predicted). Now he transitions to argue that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah promised…
Read MoreActs 2:1-21: Pentecost
Genesis 5-8, Psalm 3, Matthew 2:1-12, Acts 2:1-21 Acts 2:1-21: We will consider today only the first part of Peter’s famous sermon on this famous day of Pentecost. Tomorrow we will look at the main body of the argument of that sermon, and then also the astonishing response and then Luke’s paradigmatic description of the New Testament church.…
Read MoreActs 1:12-26: A Witness of His Resurrection
Genesis 3-4, Psalm 2, Matthew 1:18-25, Acts 1:12-26 Acts 1:12-26: The next scene is something of a brief interlude before the drama of the coming of the Spirit in the next chapter. Many have wondered over the years: why is this here? What is the point and the purpose of it in Luke’s recording of events? And why…
Read MoreActs 1:1-11: You Will Be My Witnesses
Genesis 1-2, Psalm 1, Matthew 1:1-17, Acts 1:1-11 Acts 1:1-11: When we start to read any book—especially a book of the Bible—it is important to have a basic sense of direction and the purpose and style or genre of the book. Acts is the second volume in Luke’s two volume work of Christian origins. His first volume, known…
Read MoreJob 42: All Is Revealed
John 21:15-25, Revelation 22, Job 42, Malachi 1-4 Job 42: And so we come to the end of this astonishing Book of Job. In many ways, you could read the first couple of chapters or so, and then this last chapter, and not miss out on much of the message. Why then is the book so long? Why…
Read MoreJob 41:12-34: Sometimes the Details
John 21:1-14, Revelation 21, Job 41:12-34, Zechariah 10-14 Job 41:12-34: It is hard to know exactly what to do with this more extended description of “Leviathan”—especially when we are not sure which animal it is referring to. Job, you remember, is being brought up by the reality of who God is. His power, his majesty, his strength, his…
Read MoreJob 41:1-11: Consider Leviathan
John 20:24-31, Revelation 20, Job 41:1-11, Zechariah 6-9 Job 41:1-11: The contrast that God now uses to emphasize his power is between his ability to master the “Leviathan” and Job’s inability. No one is entirely sure what kind of creature this is. Long ago, Matthew Henry described it as “a very large, strong, formidable fish, or water-animal,” and…
Read MoreJob 40: Say No More
John 20:19-23, Revelation 19, Job 40, Zechariah 1-5 Job 40: Now Job digs himself out from under his bedclothes, peers over the covers, and dares to utter a word to the Lord God. What he says is wise indeed and shows his character: “Then Job answered the Lord: ‘I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over…
Read MoreJob 39: The Person, Not a Mere Formula
John 20:10-18, Revelation 18, Job 39, Haggai 1-2 Job 39: In many ways this chapter is better read than lengthily explained. The rhythm and power of it needs to sweep over us for its effect to be realized. It needs to be seen in context with the overall sweep of the book, and in that frame its purpose…
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