(Sermon from 2009-09-20) A while back in Adult Class, when we began the topic of how to study our Bibles, I showed a video to illustrate the importance of paying attention. I want to show it again for those who missed it. If you’ve already seen it, then don’t say anything. We’ll see how observant the rest of you are… (Awareness Test video) So how good was your power of perception? Not as good as you thought? Well, let’s try one more test to see how observant you are. Open your Bibles to Matthew 9. I’m going to read the majority of this chapter, up to verse 35. What I want you to do is imagine you are an eyewitness, …Continue reading →
Let us rejoice and be extremely glad, and let us give the glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready. – Revelation 19:7 The engagement has happened, the marriage is soon, and life is busy. The bride is worried about the preparations. Will the bridal gown be ready in time? What about the invitations? photographer? reception? cake? music? … lots of things to be busy with. But no matter how many things there are to attend to, if she is truly in love, the bride still has eyes for the groom most of all. The Church is the bride waiting for her Groom. He is madly in love with us, …Continue reading →
I’ve been thinking about Isaiah lately and his encounter with God in chapter 6. More specifically I’ve been trying to see this chapter as he saw it… as if I were him. In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice …Continue reading →
But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” – Genesis 3:4-5 (ESV) It seems that man has always wondered what it would be like to be like God. The ancient Greeks and Romans fantasized about men like Hercules who inherited super-human strength or other powers. Today it is no different. Movies about people with supernatural powers (X-men, The Hulk, Bruce Almighty, etc.) are very popular and entertaining. These kinds of movies and graphic novels fulfill a role similar to those of the ancient myths. We like to imagine what it would be …Continue reading →
And He said, Now take your son, Isaac, your only one whom you love, and go into the land of Moriah. And there offer him for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will say to you. – Genesis 22:2 God told Abraham to offer up his son Isaac for a burnt offering. He obeys. Isaac asks where the lamb for the sacrifice is, and Abraham replies, “God will provide a lamb.” He gets to the altar, puts Isaac on the altar and prepares to take his son’s life. God tells him to stop, and provides a ram in Isaac’s place, just as Abraham trusts God to do. I used to think that, while this was a …Continue reading →
And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. – Matthew 9:35-36 (KJV) In my meditation on Matthew 9, I’ve noticed how Jesus sees people differently than the way I see people. He sees what’s going on on the inside while I look on the outside. If I were one of Jesus’ disciples following him around as he ministered to people’s needs… In verse 2, I would have seen a paralyzed man, while Jesus …Continue reading →
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things. Romans 1:22-23 (WEB) It’s something that has been on my mind recently: being thankful for all of God’s attributes… even the ones that can seem unpleasant. I had been asking myself (hypothetically of course) that if I had the opportunity to change God’s character in some way, would I? Would I make Him less just and more forgiving (towards me of course)? Would I want to “customize” Him to my specifications? Make Him into my ideal? My image? (I had been thinking of this before I …Continue reading →
Here’s something that occurred to me not too long ago… I’d like to bounce this off of you to see what you think… see if you can knock any holes in it… The attributes of God can be divided into roughly two areas: His nature and His character. God’s nature describes what makes Him God (all-powerful, present everywhere, all-knowing, etc.). God’s character describes how He relates to what He has created (good, righteous, just, keeps His promises, loving, etc.). God’s holiness describes the degree of these character attributes: He will not compromise them in any way. Where does the wrath of God fit into this? We worship a God who gets angry, who violently punishes sin. This was true in …Continue reading →
Lately I’ve been thinking about how sinful we are (read “I am”), and in my time in God’s word, a couple thoughts came to mind… I lead a bible study at our church on Sundays. We finished the book of Job not too long ago (a great book!) and it occurred to me that there are no examples in the Bible of Satan or other demons actually disobeying a command of God. For example, God tells Satan in Job 1 not to hurt Job physically, and Satan doesn’t. God tells Satan to spare Job’s life in chapter 2, and Satan does. In the New Testament, the Legion demons don’t suddenly “jump ship” and possess the herd of pigs when they …Continue reading →
The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.” But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, “…Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. …” And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people. Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, … And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the …Continue reading →
