In His Body, Christ Redeemed Us, Bringing Us into His Body To save us, Jesus became incarnate, which means the eternal God also became fully human by His human birth. As both God and man, He considered it necessary to become a physical being to save us physical beings. In His human nature, He became […]
Church History, Lesson 9: Letters to Non-Christians about Christ and His Church
Intro Today, we focus on two sets of letters written to non-Christians. The first is by Pliny the Younger, a provincial Roman governor; the second by Justin Martyr, a Christian. Both lived in the 2nd century. Pliny the Younger (61- 113 AD) As the Governor of Bithnia, in 112-13 AD, Pliny wrote to Emperor […]
Church History, Lesson 1: The New Covenant Begins
This is a new study series, which begins with Jesus establishing the New Covenant and finishing (we hope) with the Church recognizing and listing the texts of both the Old- and New-Testament Scriptures in 397 AD. Jesus Establishes What Is to Take Place in His Church The New Covenant Ready to go to the cross, […]
Jesus, Our Passover Lamb
Exodus 6:2-8, Exodus 12:1-14, and Luke 22:14-20 The end is near. The words our Savior speaks are clear, “I wanted much to eat this Passover with you [, my disciples,] before I suffer.” “The Son of Man is going to his death according to God’s plan.” The path of death is now before Him. For […]
Our Life with God, Lesson 3
Being More than Beggars, We also Join with the Saints and Angels in Eternity In our Christian lives, as we journey from the font to the grave, we walk before God the Father as beggars. But that isn’t the full story. We may be beggars, but we also associate with the holy angels! In Christ […]
Maundy Thursday Sermon: Remembering… for you
Our God is a God of ritual. He commanded His Old-Covenant people to take part in a yearly ritual: The Passover meal. In the first Passover, God freed His people from their slavery in Egypt. Every year after their liberation, God told the Israelites to remember the first Passover by eating a meal, which God […]
Isaiah 12:1-6: Worshiping the Lord in Spirit and Truth
How should Christians worship? Many are the wounds over this issue within our lifetimes. Long before that, however, even 700 years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah points us in the right way. Our Old-Testament reading for today comes right before the prophet speaks of the Messiah’s coming and His kingdom of peace and righteousness. People […]
Mark 8:1-9: In Compassion, Jesus Feeds Us
“In the beginning, God” (Genesis 1:1). “The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground.” The Lord God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” “The Lord God planted a garden in Eden.” There, the Lord God “put the man he had formed.” “The Lord God caused to grow out of […]
Luke 14:15-24: Come, for the Feast is Prepared!
It’s a sight to behold! The table is creaking, laden with a load of food, all ready to be eaten. You can see baked fowl, roasted beef, a rack of lamb, fruits, bread, fresh vegetables, sauces for dipping, and wine for pouring. And more than that, the host of that banquet has lovingly prepared that […]
1 Corinthians, Lesson 20: How to Deal with Heresy and the Lord’s Supper
Last week, we heard Paul’s words of censure to the Corinthian congregation: “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup [of the Lord’s Supper].” Paul had directed those words to those who had committed, or were capable of committing, heresy. “Heresy” requires three things for it […]