John 20:19-23: Forgiveness Jesus’ Way

The One raised from the tomb breathes on His disciples, “Peace be with you.”  Next, He shows them the injuries He suffered in His crucifixion.  Again, the words, “Peace be […]

The “Lament” Psalms, Lesson 5: Psalm 51

Structure This psalm is a straightforward confession of rebellion against God with a plea for Him to restore David and the promise of a faithful life in the future.  Intimacy […]

Suffering Through the Lenses of Job, Lesson 7: Job’s Recognition, Repentance, and Restoration

Intro The Lord answered Job, pulling Job from an inward focus on his suffering to what is beyond: God.  By stating who He is and what that means, God inductively […]

Luke 13:1-9: Repent or you, too, will perish

How should you respond to tragedy or disaster? I ask you to consider this, not as an American citizen, but as a Christian. How should you react—as a Christian—to suffering, […]

Luke 15:1-2, 11-32: The Prodigal Son

The Pharisees were grousing against the outrageousness of God’s grace. “This man [Jesus] receives sinners and eats with them.” Now, that’s wonderful news for you and me—if we see ourselves […]

Acts 2: It Had All Been For This

It had all been for this. Jesus ascended into heaven, taking His seat at the right hand of the Father, that position of authority and power, all to pour out […]

1 Corinthians, Lesson 19: The Corinthians Bring Heresy into the Lord’s Supper

Paul now deals with a topic that he had earlier touched on in 1 Corinthians chapter 10: The Lord’s Supper. In this section, Paul was admonishing the Corinthians for straying […]

Your Future Reality Invades Your Darkness

Malachi 3:1-4, Philippians 1:3-11, Luke 3:1-6 The name Malachi means “my messenger.” And it’s a fitting name, since that prophet so powerfully spoke about God’s coming messenger. That messenger would […]

Augsburg Confession, Articles 10 (continued), 12

Review on the Lord’s Supper: Closed Communion Last week, we looked at what we believe about the Lord’s Supper (and confession and absolution). In today’s culture, we may have many […]

John 1:19-28: Repent!

So, there was John the Baptizer living up to his name and baptizing!  And the Jewish leadership of his day was chafing in discomfort because of it.  So, they confronted […]