Today, we heard Micah prophesy of God coming to His people. “As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, although you are small among the clans of Judah, from you, one will emerge who will rule over Israel for me. His existence has been from of old, even from eternity.” So, little Bethlehem is not so little […]
2 Corinthians, Lesson 17: True Apostles versus False Apostles
December 20, 2015 by
Dealing with the false teachers who have inserted themselves at Corinth, with approval of some of the congregation, Paul and Timothy said that those teachers used their own standard of measure to assess themselves, not “the Rule” (ho kanon; 2 Corinthians 10:13, 15; “influence, ESV). Although we don’t know what that “rule” was, we find […]
2 Samuel 7:1-17, Isaiah 11:1-10: God Prunes His Family Tree
December 20, 2015 by
In our first midweek Advent service, we heard how God planted the Seed of His Savior to defeat sin, death, and the devil. He would do this through His Promised Seed, who would come to crush that serpent Satan. That prophesied Seed, Jesus, would come to graft us back into life with Him. Last week, […]
Zephaniah 3:14-12: Because of Christ’s day, He makes all our days His
December 20, 2015 by
When we look at how life is going, we often see it as a series of good days and bad days. For our lives are full of both. And when we have a bad day, we look forward to when life will turn around and get better. We think, “It can’t get any worse; I […]
2 Corinthians, Lesson 16: Do Everything According to “The Rule”
December 20, 2015 by
Paul and Timothy continue dealing with the false “super-apostles,” who have swayed some in the Corinthian congregation with their false teaching. Comparing and Contrasting Real Pastors with False Ones Read 2 Corinthians 10:12 What do Paul and Timothy say they are not doing when it comes to these false teachers? “classify or compare”: […]
2 Corinthians: Lesson 15: Tearing Down, if Needed, but only to Build Up
December 20, 2015 by
We now find the warm and friendly tone of 2 Corinthians 8-9 change. Having dealt with the misunderstandings between the Corinthians and he and Timothy (1:12-7:16), and having requested the Corinthian congregation to participate in the collection for the Jerusalem saints (8:1-9:15), Paul now focuses on the unrepentant minority who have embraced the “super-apostles” (11:13). […]
Genesis 12:1-3, 15:1-6: Faith Receives What God Wants to Give
December 9, 2015 by
To plant a seed, you make a small hole in the ground, put the seed in it, and cover it with soil. But then you have to wait until the seed germinates, for until then, there’s nothing that you can see. And so a planted seed gives us a beautiful picture of faith. Waiting for […]
Genesis 3:1-15: The Promised Seed and Serpent-Crusher
December 2, 2015 by
Everyone has a family tree. And when you know who’s in your family tree, you get a better sense of your family, and how that shaped your mother and father. And that, in turn, even lets you know something about yourself. But does it surprise you to know that God also has a family tree? […]
Jeremiah 33:14-16: The Righteous Branch is King, Temple, and City
November 29, 2015 by
Where do you live? But more than that, what place do you call “home”? Today that may be a murky question to answer. For we live in a mobile society. Almost all of you grew up somewhere else and moved here. Most of your children don’t live here. Our mobile society keeps us moving—and often […]
2 Corinthians, Lesson 14: God the Source and God the Receiver
November 29, 2015 by
Christian giving flows from God’s grace changing us by the Gospel. Flowing from Christ’s gifts to us, the Christian gives as he is able. This flows from grace, not guilt. Yes, the Law makes us aware of how God wants us to live, but it’s the Gospel and empowers and moves us to do so. […]
