Sermons Online
Sunday, April 21, 2024
◦ Moses is commanded by God to make a bronze basin for the purpose of washing. It stands in the courtyard between the tent of meeting and the bronze altar. This is where Aaron and his sons wash their hands and their feet before entering the Holy Place or burning a food offering. The reason is simple: “so that they may not die.” The living God is a consuming fire and will not permit unclean priests into His presence.
Sunday, April 14, 2024
◦ Moses is to take a census of the people of Israel. Every person 20 years and older will pay a ransom to the Lord for his life. This ransom was also to avoid a plague, recalling images of Egypt. The ransom price of a shekel of silver was the same for rich and poor alike, demonstrating the equal value and equal dependence of every Israelite upon the Lord. The offering to the Lord was “atonement money.”
Sunday, April 7, 2024
◦ Yahweh instructs Israel to fashion an altar, 1x1x2 cubits, on which to burn incense. Made of acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold, the altar is placed in front of the veil that leads into the holy of holies. Aaron shall burn “fragrant incense” on it continually, signifying the prayers of God’s people rising unto Him, reaching His holy presence. It is “most holy” to the Lord.
Sunday, March 31, 2024
◦ On the road to Emmaus, Jesus finds two men who have heard of His crucifixion. When they demonstrate their sadness and confusion about it, Jesus shows them their foolishness and proceeds to open up the Scriptures to them so that they can understand why He came and what He did. Their “hearts burn within” them as He speaks. After they invite Jesus to stay with them and they break bread, He opens their eyes so that they recognize Him.
Sunday, March 24, 2024
◦ Five days before Passover, Jesus came to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. Upon entering the holy city, Jesus was accompanied by followers who laid down palm branches and cried “Hosanna!” for his arrival. Fulfilling the words of the prophet Zechariah, Jesus rode a donkey into the city, signaling his conquest as the heavenly king. Only later did the disciples fully understand these things.
Sunday, March 17, 2024
◦ To follow Christ, we must deny ourselves, Jesus says. To do so, a person must “take up his cross daily.” Jesus then explains that this involves a dying to oneself. Instead of seeking to save our life, we must lose it for Jesus’s sake. Only then will we find true life. To gain the entire world but forfeits oneself is no profit at all, Jesus says. Instead, we should boast in Jesus Christ as our greatest gain, not being ashamed of him and of his cross.
Sunday, March 10, 2024
◦ Loneliness has become a huge epidemic in our culture today, impacting children to young adults to senior citizens. People search for the remedy to loneliness in a variety of places including apps and social media. However, you don't have to be lonely if you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. If you know God, you can know hope.
Sunday, March 3, 2024
◦ A man has two sons, the younger of which squanders his property in “reckless living” in a distant place. The son eventually becomes so destitute that he longs to eat pig food. However, after realizing his foolishness, he comes back to the father and confesses his sin and his unworthiness. The father celebrates, but the older son does not. The latter is jealous of the lavish party thrown on his unworthy brother’s behalf. But the father reminds him, “he was lost, and is found.”
Sunday, February 25, 2024
◦ To consecrate and ordain Aaron and his sons as priests, Moses is to bring them to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. They are given garments, including ephods and turbans. Yahweh also gives instructions on how to make sin offerings outside the camp and burnt offerings upon the bronze altar, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
Sunday, February 18, 2024
◦ The Lord instructs Moses to build an altar of acacia wood (5x5x3cubits). On the four corners of this altar are horns, upon which the blood of sacrifices is to be put. The bronze on the altar is distinguishable from the gold (and some silver) of the tabernacle, indicating degrees of holiness and glory. Inside the altar is grating on which the animal sacrifices will be burned. The altar will be carried with bronzed poles.
Sunday, February 11, 2024
◦ Yahweh instructs Israel to weave together a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarns and fine linens. The veil will be embroidered with Cherubim. The veil will separate the rectangular Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, which is a perfect cube 15 feet on each side. The other curtain will be a “screen,” serving as the entrance to the tabernacle itself.
Sunday, February 4, 2024
◦ Yahweh instructs Moses and Israel to “make a lampstand of pure gold.” It will be one piece composed of a base, stem, cups, calyxes, and flowers. With seven branches (three on each side), the lampstand will have cups resembling almond flowers, signifying life and abundance. The seven lamps will symbolize the light of God, fulfilled in His Word and in Christ His Son, the light of the world.
Sunday, January 28, 2024
◦ After giving Israel instructions to build the Ark of the Covenant, He then gives them the schematics for the Table that will hold the Bread of the Presence. Like the Ark, the table will be held with poles so that its holiness will not be touched by sinful hands. The bread will be set on the table before Yahweh “regularly,” signaling God’s fellowship and peaceful relations with the nation of Israel. Only the priests, however, will enjoy the privilege of dining with the Creator.
Sunday, January 21, 2024
◦ After requesting material contributions from every man to begin constructing the tabernacle, Yahweh gives Moses instructions for the building of the ark of the covenant, where the commandments (“the testimony”) will be kept. He then tells Moses how to make “a mercy seat of pure gold” which will serve as a cover to the ark. Two golden cherubim will sit atop this cover, one on each side, facing each other. Above this mercy seat, between these 2 angels, Yahweh says, “There I will meet with you.”
Sunday, January 14, 2024
◦ Moses, Aaron, Nadab Abihu, and 70 elders went up the mountain and saw the God of Israel. Under God’s feet was a “pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven of clearness.” These men did not die in the presence of God. Instead, they ate and drank a covenant meal with Him. After returning, Moses then ascends the mountain again with the tablets of stone and his assistant Joshua. He remains there 40 days and 40 nights.
Sunday, January 7, 2024
◦ Moses is to take Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 of the elders on top of the mountain with him to worship from afar. However, Moses alone can come near. When Moses presents the rules, the people confess they will do all of them. The next day Moses throws blood against an altar. After reading the Book of the Covenant to the people, they commit their obedience once again and Moses throws the blood of the covenant upon them.
Sunday, December 31, 2023
◦ Having been cleansed from their sins by the blood of Christ by faith, Christians are also cleansed from “what is dishonorable.” Now we are set apart as “useful” to the master of the house. Therefore, we should flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Having nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies, we are to endure evil patiently and to be kind to everyone.
Sunday, December 24 (Eve), 2023
◦ Faced with one of the most frightening yet meaningful and impactful assignments in the history of the world, the young Mary offers praise to God for trusting her to be the mother of the Savior of the World!
Sunday, December 24, 2023
◦ In his Gospel, John describes recounts the birth of Jesus, and describes Jesus as the Word, the Light, Grace and the Truth.
Sunday, December 17, 2023
◦ An angel tells Joseph to take his family to Egypt to escape the murderous rampage of King Herod, fulfilling Hosea 11. Seeking to kill the infant Christ, Herod kills every male child in Bethlehem 2-years-old or younger, fulfilling Jeremiah 31. When Joseph takes his family back, they settle in Galilee in Nazareth to avoid Herod’s son Archelaus. Jesus becomes a Nazarene, fulfilling Scripture once again.
Sunday, December 10, 2023
◦ Magi from the East come to Jerusalem, having followed a star to worship the king of the Jews. This made Herod, king of Judea, very nervous and afraid. Consulting his priests and scribes, Herod discovered that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, fulfilling Micah 5:2. He sends the Magi there, and the star rested over where Jesus was. The Magi found the infant Jesus, worshipped Him, and opened their treasures to Him.
Sunday, December 3, 2023
◦ When the virgin Mary was betrothed to Joseph, she conceived a child by the Spirit. Although thinking his wife was unfaithful, Joseph admirably decided to divorce her “quietly.” But an angel appeared to him and said that the child was from the Holy Spirit. The angel also told Joseph that this baby would be called Jesus because He would save His people from their sins. Fulfilling Isaiah 7, this Jesus would be called Immanuel, God with us.
Sunday, November 26, 2023
◦ When the Israelites begin driving out their enemies from the Promised Land, they shall “make no covenant” with the gods of the Hivites, Canaanites, Hittites, and other idolatrous groups. The reason is sin. Idolatry is a trap for other sins. It produces sin against God and creates “snares” to produce other sins.
Sunday, November 19, 2023
◦ Yahweh sends an angel to guide Israel to the land He has prepared for them. They are to obey him as if He is the Lord. If they listen to him, the Lord will be an enemy to their enemies. Israel is commanded not to serve the various gods in Canaan. If they abstain from idols, they will be blessed in a number of ways.
Sunday, November 12, 2023
◦ The punishment for sacrificing to false gods is “destruction” of the idolater. However, God also prohibits oppression of sojourners and other marginalized groups like widows and fatherless children. God’s “wrath will burn” against those who mistreat these people, especially since Israel once sojourned in the land of Egypt. And God heard their cries.
Sunday, November 5, 2023
◦ In a world filled with evil, unbelieving, God-hating nations, the civil law (Exod. 21–23) provided peace, order, and stability to Jewish society. This was part of what set Israel apart as a light to the nations. The civil law of God, although not authoritative for the church today in light of the new covenant, remains a fairly good indicator of what God loves and what God hates.
Sunday, October 29, 2023
◦ Yahweh is the God who speaks from heaven. Therefore, Israel should understand the futility and idolatry of making gods out of silver or gold. Instead, God commands them to make “an altar of earth” so as not to mix their worship with any shiny thing that might tempt them to idolatry. Even the altar of stone shall not be cut upon so as not to adulterate pure and undefiled worship. Wherever God is remembered, Israel will be blessed.
Sunday, October 22, 2023
◦ God brings trials upon His people to test their faith and to produce steadfastness. Steadfastness is staying the course with determination, continuing faithfully in the same direction. The same God who brought suffering upon His own Son now brings suffering upon His Son’s people, to make them more like His Son and to produce steadfastness in their lives. Therefore, we are called to endure trial with joy!
Sunday, October 15, 2023
◦ Jesus started his ministry with a reading of scripture from the book of Isaiah, causing quite a stir in the synagogue. The reaction even included the desire by some to have Jesus killed. Guest speaker Pat Hughes breaks down the timeline leading up to the reading, the reading itself and the reaction to the reading.
Sunday, October 8, 2023
◦ Jesus didn’t just bear with the failings of the weak. Jesus bore the sin of the weak. The Apostle Paul says that Christ’s life is our model for strength. To bear with the failings of the weak, we must: [1] Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. (v. 2) [2] Live in harmony with one another (v. 5) [3] Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you (v.7)
Sunday, October 1, 2023
◦ What happens at Mount Sinai is proof that you cannot have faith in God without also having a fear of God. Israel stands back and trembles at the greatness of Yahweh. Moses will serve as their Mediator. Today, the reason that Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit is so that we no longer need lightning and thunder to fear God. We fear God because we know Him by faith.
Sunday, September 24, 2023
◦ Coveting is desiring anything other than God in a way that betrays a loss of contentment and satisfaction in him. Covetousness is a heart divided between 2 gods. So Paul calls it idolatry. –John Piper
Sunday, September 17, 2023
◦ Lying should be as foreign to a Christian’s lips as speaking another language. It should feel uncomfortable and even unnatural. If you haven’t told the whole truth, you haven’t told the truth.
Sunday, September 10, 2023
◦ "The opposite of stealing isn’t minding your own business. The opposite of stealing is generosity. God doesn’t just call us to not steal. He calls us to be cheerful givers. As God has been generous to us in Christ, so we are to be generous to our fellow sinners."
Sunday, September 3, 2023
◦ Adultery is the opposite of what Jesus does for the church. He doesn’t coerce her. He doesn’t mistreat her or neglect her. He doesn’t cheat on her and find someone better. He pursues her, dies for her, washes her, unites Himself with her, and heaps blessings and honor upon her. The one-flesh union between a man and a woman is thus a reflection of the church's union with Christ! Therefore, any lustful intent outside of marriage is a violation of the seventh commandment, Jesus says.
Sunday, August 27, 2023
◦ Paul exhorts the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord always. They have joy by not being anxious. And they are to kill anxiety by bringing their requests to God in prayer. By doing so, they may have the peace of God to guard their hearts and minds in Christ. In turn, they are to think about true, honorable, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent things.
Sunday, August 20, 2023
◦ Because anger and bitterness are the sinful motivations which produce murder, they too are a violation of the sixth commandment. Therefore, they constitute an emotional or internal kind of murder, one that is just as punishable and blameworthy as the external act of bloodshed itself.
Sunday, August 13, 2023
◦ God’s people are to honor their father and mother. If they do so, they will live long in the Promised Land.
Sunday, August 6, 2023
◦ After six days of work, God’s people are to take a day of rest on the seventh day. They are to keep this Sabbath day holy, setting it aside as a special day. No work is to be done by anyone. The Sabbath is based on God’s own rest after six days of creation, in which He blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Sunday, July 30, 2023
◦ You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. — Exodus 20:7
Sunday, July 23, 2023
◦ Due to technical difficulties beyond our control, we were unable to save the sermon from Sunday, July 23. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Sunday, July 16, 2023
◦ Moses tells the people to consecrate themselves. On the 3rd day, God comes down on the top of Sinai in fire. Although they will hear Yahweh talking to Moses, they cannot touch the mountain. For they will die. When the trumpet sounds, they come to the mountain. On the 3rd day, thunder & lightning make the people tremble, as the smoke-wrapped mountain shakes. The trumpet grows louder. Aaron ascends with Moses.
Sunday, July 9, 2023
◦ When Moses ascends Mount Sinai, Yahweh gives him instructions. Moses is to remind Israel how God saved them from slavery and brought them to Himself. If the Israelites obey His commands and keep His covenant, they shall be the Lord’s “treasured possession,” a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. Israel agrees to keep God’s commands. Yahweh comes to Moses in a thick cloud.
Sunday, July 2, 2023
◦ As crowds come to Moses to “inquire of God” and to settle their disputes, Jethro sees that Moses is overwhelmed. You will “wear yourselves out,” he says. Jethro urges him to establish a system of “chiefs.” These able, trustworthy men will help Moses to judge the people, bearing Moses’s burdens so that he can focus upon “hard cases” instead of “small matters.” Moses delegates authority.
Sunday, June 25, 2023
◦ Jethro, the priest of Midian, is Moses’s father-in-law. With Moses’s wife and sons, Jethro visits Moses encamped at the foot of Mt. Horeb. Bowing down before Jethro, Moses tells him about all that God has done in Egypt and in the wilderness. Jethro “rejoices” and says, “Blessed be the Lord.” He now knows for certain that Yahweh is greater than all so-called gods, and he offers a sacrifice.
Sunday, June 18, 2023
◦ When the army of Amalek attacks Israel at Rephidim, Joshua and his men fight while Moses stands on a hill with staff in hand. Whenever Moses holds up his hand, Israel begins winning the battle. But Moses grows weary and needs Aaron and Hur to hold up each hand until sunset. Joshua eventually “overwhelms” Amalek, of whom God promises to “blot out” his memory. Moses builds an altar called “The Lord is My Banner.”
Sunday, June 11, 2023
◦ After moving beyond the Wilderness of Sin in stages, Israel arrives in Rephidim without water in sight. Israel quarrels so much with Moses that they are ready to stone him. Moses asks God, “What shall I do with this people?” Their grumbling has become potentially volatile and even deadly. God instructs Moses to take his staff and strike the rock at Horeb. When he does so in the sight of the elders, water gushes out.
Sunday, June 4, 2023
◦ God feeds Israel with quail in the evening and a fine, flake-like frost called manna in the morning. The Lord commands them to gather as much manna as they can eat — for 1 day. They are not to store any for the next day, except for the sixth day when they gather twice as much bread for the Sabbath. But Israel does not listen. On the 7th day they try to gather, and the Lord becomes angry at their disobedience. Aaron places a jar of manna before the testimony to be kept throughout their generations.
Sunday, May 28, 2023
◦ In the wilderness of Sin, the whole congregation grumbles against Moses and Aaron because they’re hungry. They wish to return to Egypt where they claim they ate well. God tells Moses to rain bread from heaven, but He also tests them. Each day, aside from the 6th day, the people will gather only a day’s portion, and no more. When they grumble, Israel grumbles against God. Nevertheless, God provides so that they will know that He is Lord. Israel sees His glory.
Sunday, May 21, 2023
◦ We are inclined to love persons who look more like us–this often a form of self-love, not a love of God and neighbor. We must be wise and discerning, of course, but the person in need along our path in life is owed our mercy. It’s only by being made into a new creation in Christ that we can even begin to desire to pray for our enemies. We must seek the mercy of God to become merciful, and it’s in showing mercy that we receive mercy.
Sunday, May 14, 2023
◦ The Israelites arrive in the wilderness of Shur. After 3 days, the only water they could find in Marah is bitter and undrinkable. When the people grumble against Moses, he cries to the Lord, who instructs him to throw a log into the water and make it sweet. The Lord tells them that if they keep his commands, he will not afflict them with disease. He is their “healer.” Then they arrive at an oasis called Elim.
Sunday, May 7, 2023
◦ At a Pharisee’s house, a sinful “woman of the city” wets Jesus’s feet with her tears. After washing his feet with her hair, she then anoints them with the ointment from an alabaster flask and kisses them. Perceiving the Pharisee’s condescension, He then tells the story of a man with a large debt that was cancelled. The woman is like the man in the parable. She loves more than most because she knew how many sins that were forgiven her by Christ.
Sunday, April 30, 2023
◦ After being saved in the Red Sea, Moses and the Israelites sing a song to the Lord. “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation,” they exclaim. In the song, Israel recounts the triumph of God over the Egyptians, describing the “greatness” of His majesty and how He “blew” His enemies into the sea. “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?” they shout in humble worship.
Sunday, April 23, 2023
◦ Yahweh tells Moses to lift his staff and divide the Red Sea so that Israel may walk “on dry ground.” He also hardens the hearts of the Egyptians so that they pursue. The angel of the Lord and the cloud move behind them, separating them from Egypt as they pass through the night. In the morning, as Egypt is changing its mind, Moses collapses the walls of water upon them. Israel stands in fear.
Sunday, April 16, 2023
◦ After Israel leaves Egypt, Pharaoh’s heart is once again hardened, and he pursues Israel with an army of chariots. When the Egyptians draws near, Israel becomes afraid and complains to Moses, wishing they had died in slavery. But Moses says, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord.” He assures them that the Lord will fight for them.
Sunday, April 9, 2023
◦ The resurrected Christ breathes His Spirit upon the disciples. But Thomas was not with the other 10, and he does not believe that Christ is risen. 8 days later, in a locked room, Jesus stands among them. He tells Thomas to put his finger on his scarred hands and his hand on his pierced side. Thomas believes with a double affirmation: “My Lord and my God!” However, Jesus says, blessed are those who have not seen and still believe.
Sunday, April 2, 2023
◦ Approaching the Mount of Olives the week before Passover, Jesus sent 2 disciples to fetch a donkey and a colt, fulfilling Zechariah 9:9. His disciples spread their cloaks down so that Jesus could be seated upon them. As He entered Jerusalem, His followers cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road in a royal procession. They shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” The city was in a commotion about this “prophet” from Galilee.
Sunday, March 26, 2023
◦ God did not lead His people by way of the land of the Philistines because He knew they would see war and return to Egyptian slavery. Therefore, in his kindness and faithfulness, He led them through the wilderness to the Red Sea. But He never departed from them. Yahweh went before them by day in a pillar of cloud and by night in a pillar of fire.
Sunday, March 19, 2023
◦ The Lord tells Moses to consecrate to Him all the firstborn. Whatever comes from the womb first is His, the Lord says. Moses then instructs the people of Israel how to observe the “memorial” of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. When Israel comes into the Promised Land, they shall continue the practice of consecrating their firstborn.
Sunday, March 12, 2023
◦ In breaking down 2 Timothy 2:11-13, Josh Harmon shares the fact that no matter what the circumstance in our lives, when we are faithful to Christ, we will be reminded that Christ is always faithful to us.
Sunday, March 5, 2023
◦ The Egyptians were in a hurry to expel the Israelites. Taking their unleavened dough, the Hebrews asked the Egyptians for jewelry and clothing. Incredibly, the Egyptians gave them whatever they asked. Journeying from the store city of Ramses to Succoth, a “mixed multitude” of roughly 600,000 people were “thrust out of Egypt.” It was a “night of watching,” as the Lord watched over His people.
Sunday, February 26, 2023
◦ The Passover will be a “memorial day” for the Hebrew people and shall include a “Feast of Unleavened Bread” for every subsequent generation. After the Lord gives Moses and Aaron specific instructions on how to observe this “rite” in the future, Moses convenes the elders and explains the upcoming event — including how to pass down the Passover tradition.
Sunday, February 19, 2023
◦ For the final plague, the Lord will take the life of the firstborn in Egypt, from Pharaoh to the slave to the cattle. There will be a “great cry.” But for those Israelite families who put the blood of an unblemished lamb on their doorposts and lintel, the Lord shall “pass over” them. God will “execute judgments” on Egypt’s gods and protect His people from destruction. This is the “Lord’s Passover,” a prefiguring of Christ’s atoning work for the believer.
Sunday, February 12, 2023
◦ For the 9th plague, God tells Moses to stretch out his hand that there may be darkness over the entire land of Egypt, a darkness “to be felt.” The darkness is so dark that the Egyptians could not see one another nor leave their homes. The people of Israel, however, had light where they lived. Still, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.
Sunday, February 5, 2023
◦ For the 7th plague, God brings hail. Whoever fears the word of the Lord is commanded to bring his household and livestock indoors. When thunder, hail, and fire rain down, Goshen is spared. Pharaoh says that he has sinned, that he is wrong, and that God is right, but Moses knows he doesn’t fear God. After Moses stretches out his hands to the Lord to end the hail, Pharaoh sins yet again and does not let Israel go.
Sunday, January 22, 2023
◦ After turning the dust of the earth into great swarms of gnats, Pharaoh’s magicians finally acknowledge God’s power. But Pharaoh’s heart is hardened. For the 4th plague, God brings swarms of flies, but He sets the land of Goshen apart, shielding the Israelites. Pharaoh tries to let them make sacrifices in the land. When Moses insists that they must sacrifice in the wilderness, he relents . . . then changes his mind again.
Sunday, January 15, 2023
◦ After Pharaoh’s magicians copy the turning of water into blood, Pharaoh does not yield to Moses and Aaron. Then they bring frogs. After giant swarms infest Egypt, the magicians also do the same thing. When Pharaoh pleads with Moses and Aaron to take the frogs away, they do, that Pharaoh might know there is no one like their God. However, Pharaoh goes back on his word once he sees that the plague has stopped.
Sunday, January 8, 2023
◦ After God speaks to Moses, he is to relay this message to Aaron, who will speak on his behalf. When Pharaoh hears his words, Moses will be “like God to Pharaoh.” However, with a hardened heart, Pharaoh does not heed his words. When Aaron casts down his staff before Pharaoh and it turns into a serpent, Pharaoh’s sorcerers do the same thing. Aaron’s staff swallows their staffs, but Pharaoh is undeterred.
Sunday, January 1, 2023
◦ God assures Moses that Pharaoh will send Israel out of Egypt. He also re-affirms His covenant with them. God tells Moses to assure Israel that He will deliver them and, moreover, that He will take them to be His exclusive people and that He will be their one and only God. He will bring them into the promised land of Canaan. However, Israel does not listen to Moses because their spirit was broken. And Moses questions how Pharaoh will ever listen to his words.
Sunday, December 25, 2022
◦ An angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds in a field, and they were afraid. But the angels had good news of great joy. The Christ had been born near to them in the city of David, Bethlehem. A “multitude” of angels then appeared and began praising God “in the highest” and declaring peace on earth. The shepherds left, found Jesus in a manger, and Mary treasuring these things in her heart. The shepherds then returned glorifying God.
Saturday, December 24, 2022
◦ Sermon from the Christmas Eve Service Saturday, Dec. 24 at Third Baptist Church.
Sunday, December 18, 2022
◦ If Christians are to be humble, they must count others more significant than themselves. To do this, they must have the same “mind” as Jesus Christ, who did not claim his heavenly privileges as a reason not to come to earth. Even though He is eternal God, He “emptied” himself, not by becoming less than God, but by adding to himself something that was infinitely below his deity: humanity. He then humbled himself in the lowest, most humiliating way: death on a cross.
Sunday, December 11, 2022
◦ David sings blessings unto the Lord for his forgiveness, his healing, his redemption, and all his wondrous deeds. David knows that God’s anger is kindled by our sin, but he also rejoices that the Lord is slow to anger and will not repay His people according to their iniquities. He removes their transgressions and shows compassion to them as His children.
Sunday, December 4, 2022
◦ 20 years after returning from Babylonian exile, God’s people were disheartened. Construction for the temple had stalled and the nation of Israel had failed to live obediently and to trust God. In a season of spiritual decline, Zechariah urged his people to look back and not commit the same sins as their ancestors. But he also points them forward, to their coming King, riding humbly on a donkey, as His people rejoice in His coming.
Sunday, November 27, 2022
◦ When Moses and Aaron tell Pharaoh to let God’s people go that they may make sacrifices to the Lord in the wilderness, Pharaoh responds by increasing the workload of the Hebrews and beating the foremen for not meeting quotas. As a result, the Israelites wished judgment upon Moses for their new burdens, and Moses charged God with evil for His burdensome salvation.
Sunday, November 20, 2022
◦ Paul's letter to the church at Philippi gives some clear instructions: Rejoice, be reasonable, do not be anxious and make your requests known to God. Once you follow those guidelines, God's peace will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.
Sunday, November 13, 2022
◦ After Aaron meets Moses in the wilderness, Moses tells him everything the Lord has commanded them to do. When they arrive in Egypt, they gather together with the elders of Israel. Aaron speaks what the Lord has spoken to Moses and does wondrous signs before the people. Israel responds in faith. When they hear that God cares about their afflictions, they bow their heads and worship.
Sunday, November 6, 2022
◦ From Midian, Moses takes his wife and sons to the land of Egypt. God tells Moses that He will harden Pharaoh’s heart once he hears Moses’s message. Israel is God’s firstborn son, and if Pharaoh refuses to let Israel go, God will kill Pharaoh’s firstborn son. But on the journey, God seeks to put Moses to death for failing to circumcise his son. However, he relents when Moses’s wife Zipporah cuts off the child’s foreskin and touches Moses’s feet.
Sunday, October 23, 2022
◦ God tells Moses that He sees and hears His people in their affliction. He reveals that He has a plan to deliver them into a land “flowing with milk and honey.” When God tells Moses that he will go to Pharoah, Moses responds incredulously. But God assures Moses that He will be with him, and promises that He will bring His people back to Horeb. When Israel asks who sent Moses, he will respond “I am who I am.” And they will leave with many possessions.
Sunday, October 16, 2022
◦ When Moses leads his flock to Mt. Horeb, the angel of the Lord appears to him in a burning, but not burning, bush. God grabs his attention by calling His name, “Moses! Moses!” He then tells Moses to take off his sandals because the place where has standing was holy ground. God then reveals Himself as the God of the patriarchs and Moses hides his face in fear.
Sunday, October 9, 2022
◦ Moses kills an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew. On the next day, when he breaks up a fight between 2 Hebrews, he discovers that everyone knows about his transgression. Soon Pharaoh hears as well, and Moses flees from Egypt. When Moses later rescues the daughters of the priest of Midian from some shepherds, he is welcomed into his home and eventually marries his daughter. Meanwhile God hears the cries of His people and remembers His covenant with Abraham.
Sunday, October 2, 2022
• After Joseph’s generation passed away, the people of Israel multiplied greatly. However, a new Pharaoh arose who put Israel into slavery. But the more Israel was oppressed, the more they multiplied. While Pharaoh afflicted them with heavy burdens, God blessed them. The Hebrews women were “vigorous,” and the midwives were faithful, refusing to kill male children at Pharaoh’s orders.
Sunday, September 25, 2022
• When a servant comes in from the field, Jesus explains, he is not immediately asked to recline at the Master’s table. Rather, the Master commands him to prepare supper, dress appropriately, and to serve Him. After he has done this, it is not the job of the Master to thank the servant for something he was simply commanded to do. In the same way, God does not owe us thanks for obeying Him. We are unworthy servants. And He is worthy of our service.
Sunday, September 18, 2022
• When someone tries to pull Jesus into a dispute over inheritance, He warns them about the sin of covetousness. He then tells them a parable about a rich man who went to great lengths to store more grain and goods in order that he could “relax, eat, drink, and be merry.” This in fact cost the man his soul because he was rich toward himself but was not “rich toward God.”
Sunday, September 4, 2022
■ Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector to those who were self-righteous and looked upon others “with contempt.” The parable is about 2 men who went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee proudly thanked God that he was not like other sinners. But the tax collector knew his own sin well. And he thanked God for divine mercy. One exalted himself. The other humbled himself.
Sunday, August 28, 2022
• When the Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom will come, he speaks to them about the kingdom’s unobservable nature. Jesus reminds his disciples that He must first suffer in order to be glorified. After this, the Son of Man will come with the same suddenness as did the rains in the days of Noah and the fiery judgment of Sodom. Therefore, do not seek to preserve your earthly life, but to give it away. Don’t look back.
Sunday, August 21, 2022
• Peter concludes his letter to the churches in Asia Minor by exhorting them to stand firm in the “true grace” of God. He commands them to greet one another with the “kiss of love,” encouraging fellowship and unity among the churches. And he signs off with a benediction: may all those in Christ be blessed with a heavenly peace.
Sunday, August 14, 2022
• God’s people should humble themselves so that God might exalt them in His own timing. We are to cast our anxieties upon Him, because God cares for us. We should also be sober-minded and resist the Devil, remembering that we are not the only ones who endure these trials. And after the trial is over, God will do a brand new work in us.
Sunday, August 7, 2022
• Elders are to shepherd God’s flock, not begrudgingly or greedily, but willingly and joyfully. And these shepherds are not simply to lead, but to lead by example. They are to conduct themselves so as to await the Chief Shepherd, who will crown them with glory. The younger members are to remain subject to their elders, and the entire flock are to exercise humility.
Sunday, July 31, 2022
• God tests the faith of His people through “fiery trials.” Therefore, the church should not be surprised when they come. Trials are not unusual, but rather the appointed means by which God shapes and blesses His people. If we suffer, we should suffer as Christians, not ashamed of our suffering but willing to glorify Jesus in our readiness to suffer in His name. Judgment begins in God’s family, therefore we should entrust our souls to God, not man.
Sunday, July 24, 2022
• Since the end is near, God’s people are to be self-controlled and sober-minded so as not to be distracted from prayer. Most importantly, they are to cover others’ offenses and sins with forgiveness and love, as Christ has covered our sins with His own blood. Instead of grumbling at others, Christians must show hospitality, serving and speaking as a people possessed by Jesus.
Sunday, July 17, 2022
• Christians are to arm themselves with the mindset of Christ: to suffer for righteousness’ sake in order to do good and to make much of God. Suffering does not eliminate sin but is proof that bondage to sin has been broken. Although our past is filled with idolatry and our present with persecution, we can rest in God’s ultimate judgment of sin and His power given to us in the Spirit.
Sunday, July 10, 2022
• Christ suffered once to bring us back to God, being put to death in the flesh and made alive in the Spirit. Before being raised, Jesus descended to Hades to finally proclaim His saving gospel to believers of God in the Old Testament, like Noah. Our baptism is more than a washing; it “corresponds” in type to Noah’s family being delivered in the flood waters. Is symbolizes a resurrection in Jesus, who is now seated at the Father’s right hand.
Sunday, July 3, 2022
• Who can harm those who do good for righteousness’ sake? Christians should have no fear of their enemies because they will be blessed by God for sharing in the suffering of Jesus. Instead of reviling in return, God’s people should be ready to make a defense of the saving gospel — with gentleness and respect. And if they are reviled for their good behavior, it is to the praise of God and the shame of their enemies.
Sunday, June 26, 2022
• Peter commands the churches to have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, tender hearts, and humble minds. They achieve this not by repaying an eye for an eye, but by returning evil with good. Peter quotes from David in Psalm 34, who warns against an evil tongue and urges God’s people to seek peace. God’s eyes, ears, and face are upon the righteous.
Sunday, June 19, 2022
• Peter commands wives to be subject to their husbands and to win unbelieving husbands to the faith by their godliness. He also warns women against the temptation to seek undue external beauty, adorning themselves instead with a gentle and quiet spirit. On the other hand, husbands are to show understanding, honor, and love to their wives, who are co-heirs with them in the kingdom of God.
Sunday, June 12, 2022
• After the Pharisees and scribes mock Jesus for eating with sinners, he tells them a parable about a shepherd who leaves 99 sheep in the open country in order to find 1 lost sheep. And when he finds the sheep, he picks it up, carries it back on his shoulders, and rejoices with his friends and neighbors. This is, Jesus says, what it’s like in heaven when one sinner repents and believes in the gospel.
Sunday, June 5, 2022
• Jesus tells His disciples not to be anxious because their life is more than food or clothes. God takes care of the ravens and the lilies, and His children are much more valuable than these. Jesus attributes anxiety to a lack of faith and reminds His disciples that their Father knows what they need. In fact, it is the Father’s good pleasure to give them His kingdom. Therefore, we should seek His kingdom!
Sunday, May 29, 2022
• God has called us to be mindful of Him and to do good while suffering injustice. We do this by looking to the example of Christ and following in His footsteps. Jesus suffered the ultimate injustice at the hands of lawless men in order to satisfy the justice of God on our behalf. And he did not revile these revilers in return. Because He died, we have the power to die to sin and to live to righteousness. By his wounds we have been healed!
Sunday, May 22, 2022
• Christ has loved us completely, saving sinners by sacrificing Himself. In a world confused about love, Christians look to the cross. Do we love as He loves, giving of our own selves??
Sunday, May 15, 2022
• Peter commands the churches to be subject to both Caesar and governors. Despite rampant paganism, civil government is put in place by God to punish evil and reward good. The will of God, and the way to silence foolish people, is not to subvert authority, but to do good. We are to use our freedom to serve others, not ourselves. We’re to honor everyone, love our brothers and sisters in Christ, fear God, and honor even the most godless of leaders.
Sunday, May 8, 2022
• Being an exile from the world is difficult, especially when worldly pleasures and ideals are so enticing. But Peter exhorts these “elect exiles” to abstain from fleshly passions. These passions are waging war upon our souls, Peter writes. By keeping our conduct “honorable” in the eyes of a disapproving world, the witness of the gospel is strengthened and sinners may come to see the power and glory of Jesus.
Sunday, May 1, 2022
• God frees us from the power of sin not so that we can live for ourselves, but so that we can freely live for Him. Washed and sanctified, we are chosen by God to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for His own possession. We are saved by God in order to proclaim His marvelous light which called us out of darkness. Once we were not a people, but now we are God’s people. We are not our own. We are His.
Sunday, April 24, 2022
• Although rejected by men, Jesus Christ is chosen and precious in the sight of God. And we are living stones like Christ, being built up into a spiritual house and making spiritual sacrifices of praise to God through Jesus. For those who believe, Jesus is their cornerstone on whom they build their house. But for those who don’t, Jesus is a rock of stumbling.
Sunday, April 17, 2022
• Two men on their way to Emmaus had a conversation about Christ’s death. Meeting Jesus, they begin walking with Him. Even though they don’t recognize him, they explain to Him what transpired on Calvary and the report of the resurrection. Jesus then rebukes them for their lack of understanding and explains the gospel to them using Moses and the Prophets. He then breaks bread with them and their eyes are opened to who He is.
Sunday, April 10, 2022
• In order to taste the goodness of the Lord, Peter tells the “elect exiles” to do 2 things: (1) to put away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander; (2) and to long for the pure spiritual milk of God’s word. By these two things, God’s people will grow up into salvation. By killing their sin and knowing more of their God, believers will experience His goodness.
Sunday, April 3, 2022
• Peter exhorts the Christians in Asia Minor to love one another from a pure heart, reminding them of their rebirth through the living and abiding Word of God. Without this Word, they are as temporary as grass and incapable of producing love to anyone but themselves. But the Word of the Lord remains forever.
Sunday, March 27, 2022
• In order to be holy as God is holy, His people should conduct themselves with fear during their time on earth. They should also remember that the blood that ransomed them from sin was the most valuable form of payment that could possibly be rendered to the Almighty: the sinless blood of Jesus. Christ has been Plan A from the very beginning but has now been revealed for our sake.
Sunday, March 20, 2022
• After reminding the elect exiles of their hope and the grace that is already theirs, Peter tells them to be self-controlled, to remain unconformed to the ignorant passions of the world, and to be holy as God Himself is holy (quoting Leviticus). Because of grace, we obey. Our identity in Christ today and our expectation of Christ tomorrow determines how we live on the earth.
Sunday, March 13, 2022
• The prophets searched intently and carefully about that which they were prophesying, namely who the Savior would be and when He would come. Nevertheless, through these men of old, the Holy Spirit predicted the sufferings and glory of Christ. These prophets were serving the church and not themselves, as they were pointing to the grace that is now ours by faith. Thanks to the labors of these men, we now have the privilege of living in the days when God’s salvation is revealed.
Sunday, March 6, 2022
•God’s people rejoice in their living hope and unfading inheritance. However, God brings various trials upon His people in order to test the genuineness of their faith. Since this faith is so precious and determines the fate of our souls, God tests it with fire. We endure this fire by loving a God we do not see and rejoicing in Him with inexpressible joy for the things He has done and has promised to do.
Sunday, February 27, 2022
Peter reminds the “elect exiles” of Asia Minor that Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead has produced their rebirth. And Jesus is still living. Therefore, he is not only their hope for life beyond the grave, but He is also their reward. By faith, this imperishable, undefiled, unfading inheritance is guarded for believers until Christ appears to deliver His people. Jesus is life. Jesus is our riches. Therefore, we put our hope and our trust in Him.
Sunday, February 20, 2022
Peter writes a letter to Christians in 5 Roman provinces. He addresses them all as “elect exiles,” not because they’re removed from their homeland like in the Old Testament (Asia Minor was filled with many ethnicities who no longer lived in their place of origin), but because God chose them to suffer for their faith in a world that finds their beliefs strange and even offensive.
Sunday, February 13, 2022
When David resolves to guard himself from sinning with his mouth, he asks the Lord to show him how finite his days are upon the earth. David asks God to remind him just how fleeting He is. In the scope of eternity, our days pass away as quickly as a breath. The shadow-like nature of our stay is a reminder that we have only so much time to follow the Lord’s commands. We are just “sojourners” and “guests.” And these fleeting days will determine where we spend eternity.
Sunday, February 6, 2022
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome visited Joseph’s tomb and discovered that the very large stone had been rolled away. An angel told them that Jesus was risen. But the disciples were very slow to believe this news, so when Jesus appeared to the 11, he rebuked them for their unbelief. Then he gave them a mission to evangelize the world — with His power and presence.
Sunday, January 30, 2022
At the 9th hour (3pm), Jesus cried out the words of David in Psalm 22, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” This was not because the Father abandoned the Son. The Trinity remained unbroken at the cross. However, Jesus’s feeling of forsakenness was due to the utter darkness and evil that consumed Him on Calvary. Jesus was counted sinful so that sinners could be counted righteous. At his sin-bearing death, the curtain that separated deity and sinful humanity was torn.
Sunday, January 23, 2022
Jesus knew that the Pharisees didn’t understand what eternal life really requires, and that is an understanding that there is nobody good enough to enter the Kingdom of God on his own. So when he called Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of his disciples, the Pharisees questioned the move. For Jesus, it’s all about receiving mercy, because we cannot sacrifice enough to be with God on our own.
Sunday, January 16, 2022
Serve without entitlement. No Family, No Events, No Silence. Remember that the time is short, Choose responsibilities that will enhance your witness for Christ and Do not be silent.
Sunday, January 9, 2022
As Jesus is being led to the cross, an African man named Simon is compelled to carry His cross. When Christ is crucified on Golgotha, the things he has said and done are thrown back in his face. His promise to rebuild the temple is mocked, and so are his miracles. Ironically, as Christ is being crucified to save sinners, those same sinners insist that he must come down from the cross in order to vindicate himself.
Sunday, January 2, 2022
Jesus makes no answer to Pilate other than to affirm that He is the King of the Jews. However, when Pilate asks the crowd if they’d like to free Jesus, they choose a murderer named Barabbas instead. The world did not know Jesus, and it did not wish to come to his defense. Although Barabbas was somewhat discerning of the crowd, he also feared the crowd. And freed Barabbas.
Sunday, December 26, 2021
After Jesus finishes speaking to a crowd from Peter’s boat, He tells Peter to put out the nets into the deep. Peter responds incredulously, but does as Jesus says. When he does, they catch so much fish that the nets begin breaking and the boat begins to sink when filled with the fish. When Peter sees this, he falls to his knees and confesses his sinfulness and Jesus’s holiness.
Sunday, December 19, 2021
While Joseph and Mary were visiting Bethlehem to be registered under the Roman government, shepherds nearby encountered an angel of the Lord, who told them about the birth of Jesus. Then the angels praised God in song. Afterward, the shepherds came to Bethlehem, telling them what the angel had said. And like the angels, the shepherds also glorified and praised God. They declared. Then they worshipped.
Sunday, December 12, 2021
When Gabriel told the virgin Mary that she would conceive Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, she was “greatly troubled” and afraid. Although she understood the angel’s words, she had difficulty processing how they could be possible. But Gabriel assures Mary that “nothing will be impossible with God.” Submitting herself to such greatness and goodness, this young woman confesses her servitude to God and submission to His will.
Sunday, December 5, 2021
John begins his gospel with the eternal Word, or logos, of God. Not only was the world saved through this Word, but it was created through Him too! This life-giving Word, the Son of God, “became flesh and dwelt among us” in Jesus Christ. Even though he was rejected by his own people, He came to make a new people, who by faith in Him could become children of God.
Sunday, November 28, 2021
Isaiah prophesies that, in contrast with the wars that currently ravage the nation of Israel, there will come a time of peace and prosperity for God’s people. A child, a son of Israel, will usher in the kingdom of God on the throne of David. Not only will he uphold this divine government forever, but he will establish his reign with justice and righteousness. He will be a son. But He will also be “Mighty God.”
Sunday, November 21, 2021
When the chief priests and whole council sought testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death, many testimonies didn’t match up. Against such false witnesses, Jesus remained silent. But when asked if he was the Christ, Jesus answered yes and reminded the high priest that He would soon be seated at the right hand of the Father. Although submitting himself to their authority, Jesus was still in ultimate control.
Sunday, November 14, 2021
Before Jesus is arrested, he and his disciples come to Gethsemane where Jesus insists upon prayer. He was “greatly distressed and troubled.” Nevertheless, upon asking the Father to remove the cup of wrath from Him, Jesus then says, “Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Although the disciples are weak in the flesh and falling sleep, Jesus’s flesh does not prevent him from doing the Father’s will. He is still the obedient Son.
Sunday, November 7, 2021
On the first day of Unleavened Bread, Jesus’s disciples prepare a Passover meal. During the meal, Jesus identifies Judas as his betrayer. Although this is ordained to happen, Jesus says that Judas will be held responsible for his treason. But although Judas is false, Jesus is true, foreshadowing his atoning death for sinners and the eternal covenant he will keep for His church by His own blood.
Sunday, October 31, 2021
In an act of worship, a woman pours expensive ointment over Jesus’s head. However, some in the house thought she was being wasteful and said the ointment should have been sold and given to the poor. But Jesus said she did a beautiful thing! Jesus calls us not to simply help the poor and to love neighbor, but to love and worship Him first. Without Christ-centeredness, even an act which appears selfless is still idolatry.
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Jesus tells his disciples that nobody knows the day of His return. Not even the angels know. Not even the Son of God knows! Only the Father knows because He has appointed and fixed this day from the very beginning. Therefore, since God’s people do not know the time of Jesus’s arrival, they are to be ready. They are to remain awake, continually seeking the kingdom of Jesus Christ, who will one day come on the clouds.
Sunday, October 17, 2021
The Sadducees were annoyed that Peter and John were preaching the Gospel in the temple, speaking against the beliefs of the religious leaders and council, and even healed a man in Jesus’ name. Despite the threats of the leaders, Peter and John maintained their authority came from Jesus Christ, the cornerstone that the chief builders rejected. The leaders finally release them without punishment because the people were all praising God.
Sunday, October 10, 2021
By predicting the temple’s destruction, Jesus foreshadows his own death. He is the temple of God in which the fullness of deity dwells. (Col. 1:19) After sitting on the Mount of Olives with 4 disciples, Jesus describes the events that will signal the end of days. These are the beginning of birth pains, as this present world is delivered into the next. His disciples must be on guard against sin, prepared to endure severe persecution and trial for the sake of the gospel.
Sunday, October 3, 2021
In the temple, Jesus warns against the scribes who practice their religion only to be seen and praised by others, and not by God. With their long robes and nice seats, they will receive the greater condemnation, Jesus says. But Jesus then watches a poor widow put 2 small copper coins into the temple treasury. What she gave was worth almost nothing next to the large sums of others. But because it was given in faith and denial of self, it counted enormously in the eyes of Jesus.
Sunday, September 26, 2021
When a scribe hears Jesus refuting the Sadducees, he too approaches Jesus with a question: what is the most important commandment? Jesus responds by quoting from Deuteronomy 6. To love God with all of one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength is the great commandment, Jesus says. And to love your neighbor as yourself is the second. Love God. Love sinners.
Sunday, September 19, 2021
When the Sadducees inquire of Jesus about a widow who had 7 husbands and no offspring, they ask him a question that is meant to disprove the resurrection: whose wife will she be? But Jesus tells them that people do not transfer their earthly marriages to heaven, but are like angels in heaven. He then refers to Exodus 3 and tells them that God is God of the living and not of the dead. There is a resurrection. And there is an eternal wedding to Jesus in heaven.
Sunday, September 12, 2021
Two groups that normally would not associate, the Pharisees and the Herodians, are united in their mutual hatred of Jesus. So they devise a plan to catch Jesus in an act of sedition by asking him if Jews should pay taxes to Caesar. Perceiving the trap and their hypocrisy, Jesus responds by asking for a denarius with Caesar on it. Give to Caesar what is Caesar, Jesus says, and give to God what is God’s.
Sunday, September 5, 2021
Jesus tells a parable about a man who leased a vineyard to some tenants. When harvest season came, the owner sent a servant to retrieve some of the fruit from the tenants. But they beat and robbed him. After many others were treated similarly, the owner sent his own son. But He was killed and thrown out of the vineyard. The parable is a picture of the leaders and chief priests of Jerusalem, who rejected the prophets sent to them and who will also kill Jesus, God’s Son, the cornerstone.
Sunday, August 29, 2021
After arriving in Jerusalem, Jesus curses a fig tree “in leaf” that had no fruit. The tree appeared as if it was ready to bear early fruit, but it was not the season for figs. The tree itself is not unlike Jerusalem, pretending to have fruit but having none. After rebuking the Jews in the temple for their hypocrisy, Jesus and the disciples return to the withered fig tree, where Jesus teaches them about the power of prayer. By faith and prayer, God’s people will bear fruit, not by pretense.
Sunday, August 22, 2021
When Jesus enters the Jerusalem temple on Passover Week, he sees money-changers and pigeon-sellers turning the court of the Gentiles into a shrewd kind of marketplace. Jesus drives out those who bought and sold in the temple, not allowing anyone to carry anything. Quoting from Isaiah & Jeremiah, Christ admonishes the Jewish leaders for allowing the house of the Lord to become a store for self-seeking and price-gouging businessmen.
Sunday, August 15, 2021
Before arriving in Jerusalem, Jesus sent 2 disciples to find a colt in the village and bring it back to him. Throwing their cloaks on the colt and on the road, and spreading branches on the ground, they shouted praises to Jesus and announced his triumphal entry into the city as the King of Kings, “Hosanna in the highest!” His entrance appeared somewhat undignified, but he came in the name of the Lord and was therefore blessed.
Sunday, August 8, 2021
When Christ and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus to have mercy on him. Even though he was told to be quiet, he simply cried out even louder. Jesus rewards his persistent, determined faith by healing Bartimaeus of his blindness. His faith made him well.
Sunday, August 1, 2021
When James and John ask to sit at the right and left hand of Jesus in glory, He tells them that they have no idea what they’re asking. The Father has already prepared our places in heaven. James and John are applying an earthly concept of power to heavenly authority. In the kingdom of God, those with the greatest authority are the greatest servants. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve, and to pay the price for our sin.
Sunday, July 25, 2021
When a rich young man asks Jesus how to inherit eternal life and says that he has kept the law, Jesus tells him to sell all that he has and give to the poor and follow Him. In doing so, He will have treasure in heaven. But this appears too high a cost for the man, who leaves disheartened and sorrowful because He had many possessions. It is very difficult to enter the kingdom of God, Jesus says. But nothing is impossible for God, and following Jesus is always worth the cost.
Sunday, July 18, 2021
When people brought their children for Jesus to touch, the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus was “indignant” and told them to let the children come because the kingdom of God belongs to such children. He then explained that child-likeness is a chief characteristic of authentic faith in the gospel.
Sunday, July 11, 2021
When the Pharisees test Jesus about Moses’s view of divorce, Jesus responds that Moses’s concession to divorce was due to the Israelites’ hardness of heart. Christ then quotes from Genesis 2 that husband and wife become one flesh, signaling that marriage is an organic union forged by God. It cannot be annulled by human beings. Whoever marries again after an unlawful divorce commits adultery.
Sunday, July 4, 2021
Jesus tells His disciples that they face judgment in Hell not simply for their own sin, but for their sinful influences over children. By teaching them to cut off their limbs if they provoke sin, Jesus is telling them to do whatever it takes to avoid sinning. There is no cost on earth as great as losing one’s soul. The goal, Jesus says, is for the people of God to be salt to the world.
Sunday, June 27, 2021
While passing through Galilee, Jesus teaches the disciples about his death and resurrection. However, they did not understand. As a result, on the way to Capernaum, the disciples began arguing who was the greatest. Jesus explains to them that the first in the kingdom of God is the last of all and the servant of all. In order to be great in the kingdom, one must receive the lowliest in the world: children.
Sunday, June 20, 2021
When a father brings his afflicted son to Jesus, Christ laments the faithlessness of a generation that will not go to God in prayer. And the problem is unbelief. To the father and to the prayerless disciples, Jesus tells them that all things are possible to the one who believes. Recognizing his own faithlessness, the father cries out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Jesus then heals the boy.
Sunday, June 13, 2021
When we keep our focus on Jesus, we can do just about anything. However, when we let our focus be distracted by other things, that is when we begin to sink. Guest speaker Darrick Borum tells us about Peter, and why he began to sink.
Sunday, June 6, 2021
When Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a mountain, He is transfigured before them. So beautiful and magnificent is Jesus that His clothes are radiant and intensely white. He appears with Moses and Elijah, signaling that both the Law and the Prophets testify to Jesus, who is greater than all who have come before. The voice of the Father then confirms Jesus as the supreme, final revelation of God: “This is my beloved Son; listen to Him.”
Sunday, May 30, 2021
After confessing Him as Christ, Peter rebukes Jesus when he tells the disciples that He must suffer and be killed. Jesus then rebukes Peter for insisting that there can be redemption without suffering. This idea is Satanic because Satan desires a gospel without a cross. Jesus reminds them that if anyone would follow Him, he must take up his cross and lose His own life in order to gain it. There is no way to be a disciple of Jesus without suffering with Him.
Sunday, May 23, 2021
After the disciples begin worrying about bread, Jesus cautions them not to corrupt their faith with the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod. Just a little hardness of heart and a little unbelief can cost them their souls. Having already forgotten what Christ did to feed the crowds, they are still blind to who Jesus is and do not fully trust Him. By healing the blind man at Bethsaida, Jesus proves that he has come to open the eyes of the blind — physically and spiritually.
Sunday, May 16, 2021
Jesus tells the Pharisees that no sign will be given to this generation because He knows the hearts of men are desperately wicked. He knows that if someone will not follow Him on a cross, they will never follow Him. And if someone will only follow Christ because of a sign, their faith is empty and they do not really trust His words.
Sunday, May 9, 2021
After a crowd of 4,000 people had followed Jesus for 3 days and had nothing to eat, Jesus had compassion on them and would not turn them away hungry. With 7 loaves and a few small fish, Jesus blessed the food and fed all the people with an abundance left over. They had followed Jesus with little or no food, but they left satisfied.
Sunday, May 2, 2021
Those who truly know ALL that Jesus has done for them cannot help but tell the world about Him. But the less we believe Christ has done for us and in us, the less we seek to make much of Christ.
Sunday, April 25, 2021
When Jesus moved to the region of Tyre & Sidon and entered a local house, his presence was quickly found out. A Gentile woman begged Jesus to cast a demon out from her daughter. When Jesus reminded her of his mission to the house of Israel and not to the Gentiles and compared her to a dog, she responded with extraordinary faith. The woman acknowledged Jesus as Lord and confessed her lowly status as a Gentile. Having compassion on the woman, Christ then healed her daughter.
Sunday, April 18, 2021
After rebuking the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, Christ explains that nothing that goes into a person defiles them, but rather what comes out of a person. When his disciples ask about the parable, Jesus tells them to be more watchful of what comes out of their hearts than what goes into their stomachs. From within, out of the sinful heart, comes the real evil of man. The heart is what truly defiles a person.
Sunday, April 11, 2021
When the Pharisees ask Jesus why his disciples do not wash their hands before eating, he calls them hypocrites, quoting Isaiah who spoke of a people who honored God with their lips but whose heart was far from Him. Christ’s indictment against the Pharisees was that they traded the commandments of God for their own man-made traditions, effectively placing themselves in the place of the lawgiver.
Sunday, April 4, 2021
When the disciples see the resurrected Christ and come to tell Thomas, he insists that unless he sees tangible, empirical evidence, he will never believe that Jesus is risen. 8 days later, Jesus walks through a wall and commands Thomas to touch and feel Him. Thomas responds in worship, and Jesus commends those who do not see Him but who still believe in Him.
Sunday, March 28, 2021
After sending his disciples to the other side of the sea and dismissing the crowd, Jesus went up on the mountain to pray. Then, in the morning hours, He walked out onto the water to meet them in their boat. When they saw Jesus, they were terrified, believing him to be a ghost. Although they had just witnessed Christ’s supernatural power, their hearts were still hardened, and they did not believe He could be doing such a miraculous thing. Jesus, however, told them not to be afraid.
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Jesus invites the apostles to a desolate place. After arriving ashore, they realize that a large crowd had run to meet them. Instead of evading them, Christ had compassion on them. They were like sheep without a shepherd. Soon it grew late and they had no food. Christ then took 5 loaves and 2 fish and, after looking up to heaven and saying a blessing, fed 5,000. Not only were they all satisfied, but they had baskets left over. From very little, there was an abundance.
Sunday, March 14, 2021
When Herod, the ruler of Judea, heard about Jesus, he thought that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. He had beheaded John because the woman with whom he was sexually involved, Herodias, his brother’s wife, scorned John when he rebuked their infidelity. After promising Herodias’s daughter anything she wished after dancing for him, Herodias asked for the head of the prophet. John the Baptist died because of his belief in the truth, and Herod capitulated to the fury of a worldly woman.
Sunday, March 7, 2021
Jesus doesn’t just command His disciples to follow Him; they are also sent. He sends them out 2-by-2, telling them to take nothing but a staff, sandals, and 1 tunic. If a town receives them, they are to stay in a house. If a town does not, they are to peacefully (yet symbolically) shake off the dust from their feet. Ultimately, the disciples are equipped with nothing but each other, a message of repentance, and the authority of Jesus.
Sunday, February 28, 2021
When Jesus and his disciples comes to Nazareth, where he was raised, the townspeople are astonished at the wisdom of his teaching and the power of his miracles. But they are also perplexed and troubled, as they do not understand how a simple carpenter who lived among them for so many years could do such extraordinary things. In a sad bit of irony, Jesus is honored seemingly everywhere else but where he grew up. So hard-hearted were the people of Nazareth that Jesus could no mighty work there, and He marveled their unbelief.
Sunday, February 21, 2021
A ruler in the synagogue, Jairus, falls at Jesus’s feet and implores Him to save his 12-year-old daughter from certain death. Meanwhile, a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years comes up to Jesus, touches his garment in faith, and was healed. Jairus’s daughter eventually dies, but Jesus tells them to believe and not fear. When he arrives at Jairus’s home with Peter, James, and John, He raises the girl from the dead. Jesus’s power is shown in the lives of two desperate people who come to Jesus in faith.
Sunday, February 14, 2021
Immediately after arriving at the other side of the lake, Jesus and the disciples are met by a very strong man possessed by a demon, living among the tombs. No one could bind or subdue this man, who was self-inflicting and out of his mind. However, Jesus sends the legion of demons out of him and into a herd of pigs, who drown themselves in the sea. Unfortunately, the locals were afraid and asked Jesus to leave because His power came at too high a cost: their pigs.
Sunday, February 7, 2021
Instead of trusting and resting in the goodness and greatness of Jesus, the disciples were afraid of the storm on the sea and feared for their lives. In this moment, they succumbed to unbelief. But when they woke Jesus, he rebuked the storm and quickly reminded them of their lack of faith. After witnessing Christ’s power over the natural world, the disciples traded a fear of their circumstances to a “great fear” of their Lord.
Sunday, January 31, 2021
Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed because it is established upon the earth in the humblest, most imperceptible of ways, and yet it develops and matures into something much larger. What begins as the smallest seed of faith inevitably grows into something that produces and nurtures faith in many others, like a large garden plant that sustains the life of other creatures.
Sunday, January 24, 2021
The kingdom of God advances not by simply hoping for the world to change, but by scattering upon the world the only thing that can change it: the word. When we speak the word into people’s lives, it takes root and produces fruit, not by our power but by its own power. Therefore, we should (1) scatter the seed (2) wait and pray for the seed to grow (3) and have faith that the word will work until the harvest comes.
Sunday, January 17, 2021
Just as lamps are designed to give as much light as possible, Jesus teaches that He has come into the world not to be ignored or to be subordinated to other things, but to shine supremely in the lives of His people. Christ has been revealed in order to display the majesty and glory of God in the minds and hearts of the redeemed.
Sunday, January 10, 2021
Before Pilate, Jesus was declared a king, but what kind of king was He?
His kingdom is not of this world. He did not come to unseat the Romans or rule the Sanhedrin. He came with truth, and His servants don’t fight as the world does. So how should we respond to these hyper-political times?
Sunday, January 3, 2021
If a farmer must know his field and the seasons before he plants a crop, how much more do we, God’s servants, need to know our field and the times? Having entered another year, the year of our Lord 2021, we ask ourselves: what kind of year will this be? What will these times be like, as we serve our heavenly Master in this foreign land for a little while longer? In 2 Timothy 3:1-9, Paul instructs Timothy concerning the last days, commanding Timothy (and us) to understand the times and their evils.
Sunday, December 27, 2020
The southern kingdom of Judah believed that they were God’s people even as they behaved as they pleased and broke the covenant of Sinai. In Jeremiah 9, the Lord proclaims their judgment. But He also does more: He shares Divine Wisdom for a Time of Judgment. And while we have not received a devastating judgment like Jerusalem, 2020 has been a tumultuous year. Jeremiah 9 has wisdom for us too, as we reflect upon this year and the year to come.
Sunday, December 20, 2020
Being blessed by God, Mary sings a song of worship to the Lord. And in her song, Mary demonstrates the only proper response to the mighty works of God in our lives: expressing her joy and her delight in God and magnifying His name.
Sunday, December 13, 2020
Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the sanctified womb of the virgin Mary in order to save His people from their sins and to dwell among them forever as a God-man. As Isaiah prophesied, Christ’s name is Immanuel because he will be with His people, uniting God and a resurrected humanity together for eternity.
Sunday, December 6, 2020
In Christ’s parable of the soils, the word is the seed, and each of the 3 soils is a different circumstance in which the word is received or not received. The hard-hearted or tough-minded person is analogous to the path. When this person hears the word, they’re unwilling to give more consideration to its meaning, and Satan snatches it away. The rocky ground is like a shallow person with no biblical depth who initially gets excited about the word, but who cannot endure in the faith because they have no roots. The seed among the thorns is representative of distracted souls who are lured away by the cares and desires of the world. Finally, the good soil is the soul that receives the word by reading, studying, and doing it. This is the fruitful seed.
Sunday, November 29, 2020
By calling those who sat around Him His mother and brothers, Jesus signals that He is forming a new family of God. This family is separate from blood relations on earth, but is forged by faith. In order to call Jesus our brother and God our Father, we must believe in the saving gospel and do the will of God.
Sunday, November 15, 2020
Jesus called to Himself those whom He desired, and then they came to Him. He appointed 12 disciples and gave them a mission: to preach the gospel and to demonstrate the power of the kingdom by casting out demons. He knew each disciple by name, and He called each of them into a new family of God. However, in stark contrast, Christ’s own biological family believed that He was out of His mind, illustrating how the gospel will often bring division between our closest earthly relationships.
Sunday, November 8, 2020
When the Pharisees confront Jesus and His disciples about eating grain from the grain fields on the Sabbath, Christ refers them to an instance in 1 Samuel 21:1–6 when David and his men ate the consecrated bread of the temple without any condemnation from Scripture. Christ teaches them that the Sabbath is meant to be a blessing for man, not a burden. Instead of viewing the Sabbath as primarily a rule-keeping day, it should instead be designated as a day in which we rest in order to freely reflect and celebrate the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus Christ.
Sunday, November 1, 2020
When asked why His disciples do not fast but the disciples of John and the Pharisees do, Jesus replied that there was no need to fast while the Bridegroom was with them. In other words, there is no need to plead for God to come when He is standing in your midst in Christ. There is no need to wait for a mighty work from the Lord when He is doing that very work before your eyes. However, when Jesus ascends into heaven and returns to the right hand of the Father, there will again be need for fasting and praying for His return. But this fasting won’t be like the old, as God’s people will have already tasted of the kingdom and will now be asking God to finish the work He has begun in Jesus.
Sunday, October 25, 2020
After demonstrating His heavenly authority, Jesus shows that He is also a Servant King who associates and even befriends the most socially undesirable people. Jesus came for the wretched. He calls these people the “sick.” Those He did not come to save are those who do not recognize their wretchedness and their need for complete moral transformation. Jesus came not to call those who already believe themselves righteous, but those who are woefully familiar with their sin.
Sunday, October 18, 2020
By forgiving sins, Jesus is not just demonstrating kingdom authority. He is identifying Himself as Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament. And to prove that He has such authority, He miraculously makes the paralytic to rise and walk. After such an exhibition of divine power, the audience glorifies God.
Sunday, October 11, 2020
By immediately entering the synagogue and teaching the Scriptures, and by casting out demons and healing the sick, Jesus is demonstrating His divine authority with both His words and His works. After announcing the kingdom, He is exercising kingdom authority. Remarkably, even the demons recognize Jesus Christ as the God-man sent from heaven, but He does not permit them to speak, concealing His identity and avoiding unhelpful publicity that might undermine his ministry of service and suffering.
Sunday, October 4, 2020
After issuing His kingdom command to repent and believe in Him, Jesus begins His ministry to the world by calling His first disciples. He tells Simon and Andrew, both fisherman, to follow Him. Being Jesus’s disciples means following the words and work of Jesus Christ, and teaching others to do the same. This necessarily entails leaving behind our most precious and sacred allegiances in this passing life in order to gain life Himself. If we’re not fishing, we’re not following.
Sunday, September 27, 2020
After being declared the Beloved Son of God upon whom the Spirit descends, the Spirit then drives Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted and to succeed where Adam failed. Jesus then begins his public ministry by declaring that the kingdom of God is at hand and to repent and believe in the gospel of God.
Sunday, September 20, 2020
When the heavens were torn open at the Jordan river, the glory of the triune God was revealed and God the Father demonstrated His approval of the Messiah. By the Spirit descending upon Christ, and by expressing His complete delight in Him, the Father declares that Jesus is in fact His own Son. And yet, by his baptism, Jesus the Beloved Son identifies Himself with the lawbreakers He came to save.
Sunday, September 13, 2020
John the Baptist was chosen by God to prepare the minds and hearts of the nation of Israel for the arrival of their Messiah, Jesus Christ. As an Elijah figure, He preached a baptism of repentance, warning them of fiery judgment for those who did not turn away from their idolatry, confess their sins, and bring themselves low before God. Ultimately, John heralded the gospel by making very little of himself and making much of Jesus.
Sunday, September 6, 2020
God is life-giver and the source of all that is good. Without Him, we can do nothing, and certainly nothing good. In order to produce fruit in our lives and to reflect His love and character, God calls us to simply abide in His Son, the vine. And in order to abide in Jesus, we must abide in His unconditional love and in His words. We must remain in these things all of our days.
Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020
Following Jesus comes at a price. Being Jesus’s disciple means following Him with our whole life. This means that when the world rejects Jesus, it rejects us, and just as Jesus found no true home on earth, his disciples will be strangers even in their own communities. When Jesus invites us to follow Him, He asks us to come now and in faith, not with conditions or terms.
Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020
God sends His people through suffering to keep them from boasting in themselves, to guard them from conceit, to realize the sufficiency of God’s grace in the midst of their weakness, and to find their strength in Jesus and not in themselves. Therefore, our thorns are not necessarily signs of God’s judgment, but of God’s favor.
Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020
The unity of the church is achieved by the power and presence of the triune God, who has saved us out of darkness and into the body of Christ. And we mature spiritually by increasing in our knowledge of the Son, who is the Head of the church, and by growing in humility and love.