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The Seven Last Words of Christ: With Me In Paradise

February 19, 2018

People have different reactions to encountering the King of Kings. Furthermore, this situation showed itself to be particularly unique. There, two criminals hung surrounding the Savior. The consequences of the first criminal’s crimes had caught up to him and drove him to insanity. He mocked Jesus, an innocent man dying the death of a guilty man. The second, though, responded differently. He chastised the first criminal and sought to gain the attention of Jesus. For everything he was going through, the second criminal saw the face of an innocent man, but even more so, he saw the face of the Savior of mankind.

The Seven Last Words of Christ: Father Forgive Them

February 12, 2018

He was crucified that day, a particularly brutal and bloody process. All of this having been whipped, beaten, and bloodied long before His crucifixion. No one could bring any true charge against Him and instead levied lies and falsehoods as the means of His judgment. When it came time to crucify Him, he was placed in between two criminals, the people seeing Christ as nothing more than a mere criminal. There, the mocking and pain continued. Yet, it was the response of Jesus that stunned the crowd and epitomized the mission that Jesus came to complete.

Luke 5:1-11 Abundant Obedience

February 5, 2018

As the famed teacher had finishing speaking, he looks directly at Peter and told him cast out his nets. How could this be? They had been fishing all night and caught nothing of any substance for their evenings work. There were simply no fish. While Peter protested he still remaining obedient to the words of Jesus Christ. They made no sense to a fisherman, but to a God, the catch was merely an act of obedience. While he acted in obedience, the results were beyond the expectation of Peter’s imagination.

Making All Things New: From The End to Eternity

January 29, 2018

At the end of time, we will arrive at the beginning of our eternity. Everything that God has done throughout the course of mankind has sought to return humanity to eternity with Him. Out of love, Christ made a way for our salvation, for our redemption, and for our sanctification. All of this in order that we would rest in eternity in the ecstatic presence of God. There is no area that God showed himself to be unsuccessful and no action that was not accounted for before hand. Jesus Christ was slain before the foundation of the world and heaven will collide with earth in pursuit of the people of God.

Exodus Week 10: God’s People Do As He Says

January 25, 2018

At the beginning of Exodus, the situation appeared fairly bleak for the Israelites. Enslaved and held captive by the power-hungry Pharaoh, the Israelites were facing their death and oppression. And God heard their prayers. He sent Moses and gave him specific instructions on how to handle the release of His people. In faith, Moses and the Israelites followed God and were saved. During their plight in the desert, as the people feared for their safety, the Lord provided for them in miraculous ways. Again, in faith, Moses and the people of God followed instructions for their own salvation.

Making All Things News: From Bones to Living

Making All Things New: From Bones to Living

January 22, 2018

Ezekiel 37, with its familiarity causes us to glaze over the full depth of the passage. We often are able to intellectually understand the idea of dry bones will rise and walk again. We picture images of skeletons standing up like cheap halloween specials but miss the significance of where we are in this story. As God shows Ezekiel the dry bones, God asks “Can these dry bones live?” Ezekiel while answering God, undoubtedly came to the same understanding and fear that we all face. We come to understand that we are the dry bones and fear that the answer is no.

Exodus Week 9: God Dwells In Our Midst

January 18, 2018

God had met His people on Mount Sinai. He did not join them through metaphor or representation, but the presence of God descended from heaven on Mount Sinai. This divine invasion had spurned and annoyed the broken world that ceased being righteous long ago. As God’s presence came near, the very earth groaned in the expectation of perfection that would soon be coming. The mountain smoked. There was thunder and lightning. The righteous God had come to an unrighteous world for the salvation and blessing of His people.

Making All Things New: From Old To New

January 15, 2018

The author of Hebrews connects the prophesies of old with the works of Jesus Christ. For the old prophets, God revealed a future where the old covenant would disappear and a new covenant would be established. Where people once studied the word of God, in the new covenant, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the covenant would become a part of their DNA and their very identity. The sins will be forgiveness and they will be established for eternity. The old will be made new and restoration will come for the people. Through Jesus Christ, the Old Covenant established between God and His people will be fulfilled and a new covenant will be established by the grace of God. Our response to this new covenant is nothing short of following wherever God leads us and submitting to His will.

Exodus Week 8: God’s Covenant Code

January 11, 2018

As the Israelites looked upon the Egyptian army bearing down on them with their backs to the Red Sea, their enslavement or death looked imminent. The situation for the Israelites appeared to be fatal. It had only been one day since they were led by the hand out God out of Egypt. Yet, having been rescued through the sovereign grace of God, the people immediately began to doubt that God had even sent Moses.

James 3:13-18 Both Sides of Wisdom

January 10, 2018

James continues his discussion of wisdom and how we apply it to our lives as Christians. James begins with a rhetorical question challenging to the reader to take a look inward and ask “Am I wise?” Wisdom goes beyond a simple understanding of what is right. While wisdom includes understanding, it goes beyond that. Wisdom, and thus a wise person, applies what they have learned. Yet, this wisdom is easily contrasted with the wisdom of the world. The world will encourage us to pursue selfish gain over and at the expense of others. The wisdom of Heaven, though, strives for a greater and deeper expression of a life changed and redeemed by an everlasting God.