Work Out Your Own Salvation
Paul’s letter to the Philippians includes what might seem to us a contradictory instruction. Consider what he wrote in Philippians 2:12-13: Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. While his comment ‘you work/its God working in you’ might…
Deep Waters-How Christians Relate to the Law
Romans 7:4-6 — The apostle Peter admits Paul’s writings sometimes contain things that are hard to understand. Knowing why we follow some parts of the Old Testament law and not others is one of those times.Peter warns Christians to not ignore the deep end of God’s Word. There are always those eager to distort what Scripture says.In Romans 7, Paul explains that the law points to a Law-Maker. The law serves the Maker’s purpose. Understanding this relationship helps Christians use…
The Story of Jesus’ Ministry – the People of God’s Kingdom
Matthew 5:1-12 A tendency exists to interpret Jesus’ life in terms of his birth, death, and resurrection. However, the gospels dedicate considerably more time to Jesus’ ministry than his birth and death. In fact, two of the four gospels do not even record Jesus’ birth. While volume alone does not determine significance, it does contribute to how we assess importance. Given the weight the gospels give to the long middle section of Jesus’ ministry, we began a short series two…
THE STORY OF JESUS’ MINISTRY – The rule of God’s kingdom
Matthew 28:18-20 A tendency exists to interpret Jesus’ life in terms of his birth, death, and resurrection. However, the gospels dedicate considerably more time to Jesus’ ministry than his birth and death. In fact, two of the four gospels do not even record Jesus’ birth. While volume alone does not determine significance, it does contribute to how we assess importance. Given the weight the gospels give to the long middle section of Jesus’ ministry, we began a short series last…
The Story of Jesus’ Ministry – the Arrival of God’s Kingdom
Luke 17:20-21–Next month, at Easter, many people will observe Jesus’ death and resurrection. That holiday pairs with Christmas, a date when many celebrate Jesus’ birth. Our calendar revolves around the beginning and end of Jesus’ life but includes no special times to recognize his ministry. That gap reveals the tendency to interpret his life in terms of his birth, death, and resurrection. However, we should notice that the gospels dedicate considerably more time to Jesus’ ministry than his birth and death.…
WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE?
Micah 6:6-8–I have many Bibles. I buy different translations with different layouts, different size fonts, and different thicknesses of paper. Various purposes drive my purchases; I use some for reading, some for writing in, some for studying, and some for teaching. Despite those differences, all my Bibles have a common feature – they all have A LOT of pages filled with A LOT of words. English translations have, on average, 750,000 words, not including references, footnotes, and other added features (by comparison,…
Buried with Christ
Buried with Christ Romans 6:4-5 If you read the letter of Romans in one sitting, what does it teach about how the first Christians became Christian? In Romans 10:13, Paul writes to those who are already Christian. He says, “Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” What do you think Paul meant? Is that what these Christians had done? In Romans 6, Paul ties conversion and sanctification together as he writes about being “buried with…
Love One Another
In the book of 1 John, John wrote to Christians facing challenges from a group who separated themselves from him and the other church leaders and who denied Jesus’ identity (1 John 2:18-23; 4:1-3). Motivated by the turmoil they were creating (1 John 3:4-10), John wrote to address those Jesus-denying “antichrists” (1 John 2:18-19). His response revolves around two central messages: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no…
God is Light
Christianity spread throughout the Roman world despite encountering fierce, consistent resistance. Its growth reached a tipping point early in the fourth century when Rome officially legalized the religion and, only ten years later, adopted Christianity as its official religion. Roman emperor Julian (AD 332–63) came to power shortly after Christianity’s legalization and adoption and wanted to undermine its rise by reinvigorating Rome’s ancient religion. However, his agenda met with resistance that he blamed on Christianity’s practice of love. Writing about…
Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
Even though he composed them in intentionally challenging ways (cf. Matthew 13:10-17), Jesus’ parables provide insight and direction to the life of those who meditate on them. We have been considering some of his parables this month to see what insights they offer us that will guide us as we navigate the hopes, heartbreaks, successes, and failures we will encounter in the coming year. We have considered the following parables this month: ¨ The parable of the weeds – even though we…
Parable of the Friend at Midnight
Storytelling holds an essential place in speaking and writing. Good communicators draw their audience into a narrative that resonates with them, giving identity and meaning to their message and those receiving it. Even though he composed them in intentionally challenging ways (cf. Matthew 13:10-17), Jesus’ parables offer stories that can provide insight and direction to the life of those who meditate on them. We have been considering some of Jesus’ parables this month to see what insights they provide us…
Parable of the Tower Builder
We are beginning a new year, a beginning we commonly believe contains the potential for many good things. We are using some of our Sundays this month to help us think about what we will do as a church family in 2023. However, I do not wish to prescribe a series of goals. Instead, I want to take a few weeks to consider Jesus’ parables that he used to offer insights into his kingdom and its expectations for those who claimed…
Parable of the Weeds
Even though only a date in our calendars, the New Year carries weight for many people. It signals the beginning of something new that brings opportunities for change, renewal, and the potential for countless (good) things. However, our culture has married a cynicism to its anticipation of the New Year. How often do you hear people joking about New Year resolutions, making light of peoples’ intentions and their failure to accomplish them? We are beginning a New Year, and I…
Faith Steps
Faith Steps Romans 4:18-21 Abraham’s faith had legs. His example reminds us that we cannot please God…unless we have faith (see also Hebrews 11:6). His life also shows us the benefits of a faith that is willing to work (see also James 2:17). Had his head always been in the heavens, he wouldn’t have been much earthly benefit. And living in his body without faith would not have gotten him to a better place. Our hope, like Abraham’s, is that…
The Just God
Romans 3:20-26 The God of the Bible is just. Romans 3:25-26 says God has demonstrated His justice for all to see. We are made in God’s image and are born with a sense that there is a certain way the world should go. Knowing God demonstrates justice, we recognize He demands justice from His people. Is the justice we long for Biblical justice?
JESUS’ UNEXPECTED SALVATION
Matthew 1:18-21–The Christmas season offers a time when many people around the world think about Jesus’ birth. While his birth most likely took place in the Spring and the date of his birth possesses no sacramental value, as a family of people committed to following Jesus, we want people to think about him. So, last Sunday, we began a three-lesson series taking advantage of the attention given to Jesus in December. Last week, we considered the announcement that Jesus’ birth…
Jesus Unexpected Kingship
Luke 1:26-38 Every December, people around the world think about Jesus’ birth. While Jesus’ birth most likely took place in the Spring and while the date of his birth possesses no sacramental value, it is nevertheless a time when much of the world around us turns its attention to Jesus. As a family of people who have committed to following Jesus, we want people to think about him. So, we will take advantage of Christmas’ focus to remind ourselves about…
God was Satisfied
God was Satisfied Romans 1:1-7 The book of Romans comes out of the gate hard. God reveals His wrath. All men have compromised God’s truth for their own ways. Those compromises resulted in the suffering around us, and God is not satisfied. Like we do with broken appliances, God could’ve wiped everyone away and replaced it all, but instead, He offered restoration. God gave something precious to restore something broken. His wrath was satisfied. The result is people who are…
I am Thankful for Church Family
1 Corinthians 12:12-26 — We live in an individualistic culture whose definition of ‘the good life’ focuses on self-centered, impersonal things. Our place in the world, our value, we are told, connects to things like our career, our money, our car, our clothes, and our appearance. Happiness, our world markets to us, involves beings true to oneself and asserting one’s wishes and rights. The ‘good life’ our world advocates comes with a widely known secret – impersonal things and self-centered…
I am Thankful for God’s Grace
Considering our upcoming celebration of Thanksgiving, we are using some of our Sunday mornings this month to explore things for which we should be thankful. However, more than mere opportunism motivates this series; we are using the holiday as an occasion to focus on thankfulness because it occupies an essential place in our Christian identity (cf.Philippians 4:6; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:18). Therefore, this lesson explores another reason motivating our thankfulness: I am thankful for God’s unexpected and undeserved grace.