The Son who left His Father’s side in the Incarnation, and who is now at the right hand of His Father, has sprinkled clean our consciences and poured out His Spirit upon our lives, to set us apart as His holy priesthood. Christ cleanses you. Now baptism saves you, beloved.   All of Leviticus applies... Continue Reading

God is not put off by our sin. He is not intimidated by our seeming objections. His grace is more than powerful enough to turn the heart of stone to flesh.   Most people are familiar with John Newton, even if they don’t know they are. The reason they know him is because he penned... Continue Reading

If your understanding is the standard, truth will always shift. It will expand or contract based on your perspective, your experiences, and your preferences. But if God’s Word is the standard, truth remains fixed. It doesn’t bend. It doesn’t adjust. It stands. And that’s exactly what we need.     As believers, there’s a subtle... Continue Reading

We don’t expect God to appear to us in a burning bush today, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be times that we are called to do things. What does it take? A need and a dream.   A little over 500 years before Christ was born, there was a man named Zerubbabel who was... Continue Reading

As we seek to follow Jesus, we will be faced with both blessings and challenges. The question is, will we respond in obedience? The response to that question is largely dependent on our view of God.   In this morning’s reading we see Caleb and the crowd. Caleb and the crowd have experienced the power... Continue Reading

My dad said one time, “Jake, if we really believed in hell, we’d be knocking peoples’ doors down to tell them about Christ.” Amen. The reality of eternal suffering away from the favorable presence of God should compel us to love our neighbor and tell them the only way to be right before a holy... Continue Reading

The midwives were obliged to thwart Pharaoh. This was not about personal safety and protection but about fearing and obeying God and protecting the babies. So God rewards them.   Satan attacks our children from every side. By breaking down gender and gender roles he demeans both mothering and fathering. By breaking down marriage with... Continue Reading

Christ is the “head of every man” (1 Cor 11:3). “He is the head of all rule and authority” (Col 2:10). He is the one whom God gave “as head over all things to the church” (Eph 1:22). As “head of the church” he is “Savior of the body” (Eph 5:23; Col 1:18), and as such he lays... Continue Reading

With equal or even surpassing significance, the heavenly Jerusalem on the heavenly Mount Zion has become a reality for all participants of the new covenant. You have not “drawn near” to the terrors and traumas associated with the law that condemns. Instead, you “draw near” to Jesus in his full humanity as well as his... Continue Reading

Chalmers concludes that you cannot simply tell a man to be holy if he has no fellowship with the Holy One. You cannot separate “the demand and the doctrine.” Chalmers said, “The true disciple of Christ is able to do the one through the other strengthens him.” Obedience to the gospel is not beyond his... Continue Reading