John 20-1-31--Believe-

Over - over again God proves the reliability of His word. In so doing it comforts - encourages His people. Strengthens - fortiBies the faith of His people. - Often the way God-proves the reliability of His word is by informing us of things we would not know, in fact could not know if He hadn't told us. -We call it prophecy-.…

Paul wrote to Timothy, -Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.-1 There is a sense in which Isaiah 45 is saying-showing in historical narrative form, what Paul summed up in a single sentence in 1 Tim 1-17.

I'm just going to trust that the book of Isaiah has brought both blessing, - times of refreshing to your spirit. - -God's word is always right on time. It has this way -proverbially-speaking- of lifting us up by our lapels, slapping us around a little bit, -or splashing some -proverbial- cold water right in our faces- - snapping us back into realit…

Last week's word ended w-a warning of judgment. The principle in play was essentially this, -Do not be deceived, God is not mocked- for whatever a man sows, that he-will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption,-1 Israel, refusing to turn back to the Lord, to repent of their sin -their idolatry- - trust in the Lord,…

In Isa 42, two servants come into focus. Both called-commissioned by God. One successful, the other unsuccessful. One fruitful - faithful, the other failed being unfaithful. One exalted to the highest prominence, the other punished. The curtain closed on Ch 41 proclaiming the fact that idols are nothing. It draws back on Ch 42 w-God's Servant, who …

We left off last week on a wonderful litany of promises from God. We were isolating the horrible atrocity, the sinful nature of fear - anxiety. Though, I would say that if we were to be transparent w-one another, those are things that we all struggle with from time to time - in various-sundry situations.…

Isaiah 41 is all about the comfort of our Creator. If we take a moment to -zoom out-, we remind ourselves that Isaiah is speaking -in this section- to future generations of God's people.

Lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, do not be afraid- say to the cities of Judah, -Behold, your God--

-There is a paradigm shift that takes place at this point in the book of Isaiah. We're lifted out of the minor key of condemnation - heavy exhortation to the major key of comfort - consolation. Our focus transitions from the Sovereign's crown to the Savior's cross. From the government of God to the grace of God. From the law of God pointedly procla…

Every now - then you watch a movie that opens w-a real nail biter- Then suddenly it cuts to something more subdued - a caption comes up, -6 months earlier- -or something like that-. That's essentially what we have here in these next couple of Ch's. We just witnessed the dramatic deliverance of the city of Jerusalem from the onslaught of-Assyria. In…

-Every now - then God will step miraculously into the tide of human history. Among other reasons, it may be to deliver the righteous, it may be to judge the wicked. Many times, it will serve both purposes simultaneously, but every time it serves to bring Him glory. Ch 37 of the book of Isaiah certainly brings into focus for us one of the most incre…

God gives Isaiah a word of -Woe- to the nation of Assyria - a precious promise to the nation of Judah.

As many of you know, Matthew chapter 7 is the third of three chapters-in the gospel of Matthew in which Jesus' -Sermon on the Mount- is-recorded.

The result of rebellion is condemnation. The result of repentance is transformation. Rebellion piles on detriment. Repentance unleashes benefits. Unfortunately for some of us, it doesn't seem to matter how often the way of wisdom is shared w-us - shown to us, there's a prideful, rebellious element in us that's always got to learn the hard way.…

The curtain pulls back on Ch 29 in a bit of a mysterious fashion. God pronouncing -woe- to -Ariel-, which makes us wonder exactly what God is talking about. We hear the word -Ariel- we start thinking -little mermaid- or something. J But it quickly becomes clear that -for whatever reason God calls it Ariel- He's referring to the city of Jerusalem - …

Let's recall that at this point, the nation of Israel is divided into two kingdoms. Israel to the north, Judah to the south. Judah had the capital city of Jerusalem, so Israel declared Samaria to be its capital. The most prominent tribe of the northern kingdom was Ephraim. So, when the Lord addresses the northern kingdom, you may hear a reference t…

What a wonderful journey 1st John has been. John has written to us in a profoundly simple, straightforward - powerful way.His overwhelming emphasis upon who Jesus is in truth, who you are in Him - what your life will look like if you truly belong to Him. His heart has been to assure us of the fact that salvation is in Jesus.…

To be born of God is to believe that Jesus is the Christ. - Every believer has a few distinct -birthmarks- that give way to the fact that they're God's children. Those indicators -those ingredients in the life of every believer- are love for God, love for God's people - obedience to God's Word. - The general sphere or domain of the child of God is …

Today is a great day- You may or may not remember that I made mention to you last week something to the effect of every day is a great day for the follower of J.C., not because we always feel good or are in perfect health. Not because our path is primrose - problem free, or because we are emersed in the creature comforts of this life. But because G…

A common struggle that believers can wrestle with is that of -assurance-. - We've touched on this topic along the way, people will at times wonder what kind of compromise they can get away with - still make it to heaven- But you need to understand, that's a dangerous road -at best- to travel down-

When you believe on the Lord Jesus. God seals you, places w-in you, His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is His -gift- to you -if you will-, to seal you, to strengthen you, to encourage - aid you in your walk with Jesus until you stand before Him face to face.

Drawing near to Go- What it does and does not look like-Luke 15-11-32

Comparing - contrasting. That's what John's been up to in this, our present passage. He's been reasoning w-us from both the positive - the negative position - he's trying to get us to understand that -the proof is in the practice- of a person's life. How can you know if you're truly a child of God.

What we are, what we shall be, what we should be. That's the context we're coming back to here in 1 Jn Ch 3. The love of God has seen fit to make us children of God. As a believer in J.C. that's what you are presently. You are a child of God.

-We left off last time thinking through familial likeness. When someone is born of another, there's typically what we refer to as a -family resemblance-. We tend to take after our parents in some form or fashion. - John was bringing insight to the fact of what's true-physically, is also true spiritually. In Vs 29 of Ch 2 he said--…

Our Online Service for 01-01-23

A sharing in the things of God, a relationship w-God is everything in the Christian life. It's imperative that we stay vigilant - be on guard against anything that might impair or poison that relationship. - John has been very careful to instruct us regarding things that can do just that. Last week he spoke to us through the incredible passage of s…