Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you are trying to accomplish something but the information you have to sort through to do so is so overwhelming that you are tempted to give up? One example of this is the costs I incurred after my car engine stopped working one afternoon. It turns…
Category: Exegesis
A New Creation: A Homily on 2 Corinthians 5:14-18
How many of you have heard of Curious George? When my son William was younger, he often wanted me to read the story of Curious George to him at bed time. Of course, it always starts out the same way: “This is George. He was a good little monkey. And always very curious.” And each…
Do You Pray? A Homily on the Importance of Prayer
Do you pray? I ask whether you pray, because prayer is absolutely essential to a person’s salvation. Do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that you can do anything to earn your salvation. I am not saying that it is your prayers that will save you. Salvation comes by grace alone through faith alone…
A Study of Judges: The Upward Spiral of Salvation
As we leave the book of Joshua, in many ways all looks well. Israel had conquered much of the Promised Land. Israel had rest in the land. When Joshua had confronted the people of Israel about what they would do after he was gone, they had declared, “We also will serve the LORD, for he…
Plans
A friend wrote this yesterday and I thought I’d share it: “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” – Proverbs 16:9 You’ve heard the joke. “Want to make God laugh? Tell him you have a plan.”It might actually be funny if it were not so true. Today started out like most…
Revelation Study Notes – Rev. 1:1-3
As I work through Revelation for a Bible study, I’m putting together some notes. I’ll be publishing them on a regular basis. In 1:1-3, three themes stand out: The book of Revelation is a revelation and a prophesy; we should read it that way Revelation is telling us about some things that must soon take…
The Time is Near: A Look at Revelation 1:1-3
The book of Revelation can be intimidating. It is chock full of mysterious symbols: beasts, lampstands, Spirits, numbers, stars, seals, etc. Yet we have to remember the book is a revelation from Christ to His servants. It is also a letter to His church, specifically the seven churches in Asia. Christ used this letter to…
The Gospel According to Hebrews
In a Bible study I attend, we had a good discussion yesterday on Hebrews 4, which draws parallels between the Israelites in the wilderness, the first Century Hebrew recipients of Hebrews, and even us today. The connection is that TODAY they and we were/are invited to enter into God’s rest. Not just His Sabbath rest…
Baptized into the Kingdom: A Homily on Matthew 3:13-17
In case you hadn’t noticed, we live in a fallen world. We all have experienced plenty of examples of this in our lives. We have lost loved ones: parents, spouses, and children. We have experienced strife and brokenness in relationships. We have witnessed crime and addiction. In short, we have sinned against others, others have…
The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand: A Christmas Story
After Jesus was lifted up through the clouds into heaven, two angels appeared to the disciples, asking them, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?” Advent is a time of two comings: remembering Christ’s first coming and looking forward to His second. Perhaps during this time, though, some of us have spent…