The Voice of Freedom
We must discern true Freedom from the Lie.
Your glorified Savior is meek and mild with his lambs, and his voice is one of tender freedom—freedom from the would-be oppressors. The spirit of this world, your flesh, and the devilish hoard want only to enslave and control you. They do not have your freedom and best interest at heart. Yet they will disguise... Continue Reading
The Resurrection: Motivation for Holiness
The spiritual power of the resurrection of Christ is at work in every believer.
Any believer knows that once saved he must grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. What is more, that growth only comes by the Spirit’s ongoing revelatory work in us. Paul is praying for that work. What is more, we see what Paul is praying for in these verses. His desire is for these... Continue Reading
Entrusting Ourselves to the God of the Living
The lineage of mankind focuses on God’s work in history, not ours.
When we accept the invitation to unite our lives with the life of Christ, our individual stories get stitched into the tapestry of a much bigger story belonging to the One who was before Abraham. Our story is no longer limited to our lives or our families because our story is more ancient and new... Continue Reading
Seasickness, and the Glorious Certitude of God
Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed. Case closed.
Jeremiah, the doomsdayer of his day, felt the flux around him. In a context of sloshy-morality and iffy-commitment, he was the bearer of the promise of God’s judgment. And the people hated him for it. The waves came up and down around him and he, too, was no doubt seasick from the motion. But he... Continue Reading
Discourse with the Foolish
Jesus loves His Word and He loves His people and He loves the lost. So must we.
When the fool comes as a skeptic with his questions, answer him from the truth of God’s Word, not from his faulty and irrational worldview. As you answer intentionally, seek both to dismantle his argument and to win his heart. I’m sure you have heard the attractive statement that I once made with unfeigned confidence—“Don’t... Continue Reading
Surprises of Old Testament Use of Old Testament: Part 5
If love thy neighbor offers a summation of the whole law,[4] it also comes out of exegetical advances of revelation within Torah.
What should not be missed is that love thy neighbor starts with Yahweh’s redemption of Israel. The motive for loving the outsiders does not begin with humanistic impulse. It begins with Yahweh’s redemption of Israel (Lev 19:34). Redemption motivates love of the other. Love of the other necessitates love of neighbor. This post... Continue Reading
4 Ways Incense is a Picture of Prayer in the Bible
May my prayer be set before you like incense. – Psalm 141:2
Though we have no merit of our own, God still embraces us with love because of the merit of Jesus and His righteousness. For our prayers to be as incense, we need to be aware of the great heights they are reaching as we commune with the exalted Christ. This goes hand in hand with... Continue Reading
What Does “World” Mean in John 3:16?
No matter how wonderful the world may appear, it is not worthy of God’s redeeming love.
The world represents sinful humanity and is not worthy of God’s saving love. Apart from the love of God, the world stands under God’s condemnation. But in Christ, believers experience God’s surprising, redeeming, and never-ending love. One of the most surprising twists of John 3:16 is that we are told God loves the world.... Continue Reading
Comfort During Hard Times
“Precious…” is the result of the Holy Spirit teaching the psalmist – filling him with hope - as the singer meditated on his own death.
When we examine the Hebrew word translated “precious,” we find that it used 35 times in the Old Testament. It can be translated as: costly, precious, matchless, splendid. Twenty times it describes costly stones – rare jewels. The anonymous psalmist wants us to know that, despite appearances, the deaths of those who belong to God... Continue Reading
Why Did Jesus Compare God’s Kingdom to a Mustard Seed and Leaven?
In our lives and in these times, the growth of the kingdom can be hard to trace, detect, or measure.
A mustard seed and a pinch of yeast—no one would expect the kingdom out of these. No one notices a mustard plant growing; we cannot see yeast at work. This is the paradox of Christ’s kingdom, and it is both wisdom and comfort for our faith, brothers and sisters. When the Lord ushered his... Continue Reading