In less than a week, two deaths—Sandy Webb and Donna Kind-Gappa. So close together, we are left unable to make sense of this. Inside, we are a mess of emotions, disturbed and rattled. Somehow, this smacks of betrayal. For if God is real, how can he let this happen, a few days apart? Only a […]
John: Lesson 9: The Food of God’s Kingdom (John 6:25 – 71)
July 11, 2018 by
Jesus is back in Galilee with another Passover soon approaching. He crossed over the Sea of Galilee and a crowd follows Him there. Hungry, Jesus took five loaves and seven fish and multiplied them to feed a crowd of 5,000 men, plus women and children. Both Jesus and His disciples leave and the crowd follows […]
Being Fully Human: Lesson 3
February 13, 2018 by
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
September 7, 2017 by
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 […]
Jesus, Our Passover Lamb
April 13, 2017 by
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 […]
Matthew 4:1-11: Not By Bread Alone
March 8, 2017 by
Such a generous offer the Devil makes, proposing to share the stage of God with Jesus Christ. The Devil can be such a charmer, offering our Lord bread, glory, and sparing Him the suffering yet to come. Why? So we will be without our Savior’s Word. The Deceiver whispers, “You don’t need to do this, […]
Our Life with God, Lesson 3
April 17, 2016 by
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
March 24, 2016 by
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
March 9, 2016 by
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 […]
What Jesus’ Incarnation Means for Us
December 30, 2015 by
Being Brought into the Old Covenant Genesis 17:9-14: God also said to Abraham, “As for you, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations are to keep my covenant…. Every male among you is to be circumcised…. On the eighth day after birth, every male in every generation must be circumcised… If any male […]
