Exodus 34:1-6; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 Exodus 34:6 invites us to focus our attention on the Lord our God - The Lord is the compassionate and gracious God. - The Lord is the God who is slow to anger. - The Lord is the God who is abounding in love and faithfulness. Here, in this verse, …
Continue reading The Lord loves us – and He calls us to love Him and love one another.
The love of God is eternal love. It's the love of the eternal God. His love comes to us from before the beginning of time (Ephesians 1:4). It takes us on to beyond the end. Sometimes, when our heads go down, we think, "This the end. I can go on no longer." When, in love, …
I told you so ... Often, these words are spoken with the kind of pride that takes pleasure in putting other people down. How different are the words of Paul, "Pride puffs up. Love builds up" (1 Corinthians 8:1)! Where did Paul learn to love like this? He learned it from the Lord. Jesus loves …
"On the third day he will raise us up, that we may live in his presence" (Hosea 6:2). As we read Hosea's words, we think of Jesus - "he was raised on the third day" (1 Corinthians 15:4). Jesus' resurrection points forward to our resurrection in him - "we know that the one who raised the …
"'What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived' — the things God has prepared for those who love him — these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). "I …
Continue reading The deep things of God – and the deep love of Christ
I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power (1 Corinthians 2:3-5). Here, Paul draws a contrast between "wise and persuasive words" and "a …
Continue reading We must pray that our words will be empowered by the Spirit of God.
The kingdom of God is a power. Paul tells us, "The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power" (1 Corinthians 4:20). It is the power of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, breaking into our lives and transforming them. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God …
2 Chronicles 18:28-21:3; 1 Corinthians 15:35-49; Psalm 102:12-17 Those who were armed for battle received this message from the Lord: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 21:15). Now, we fight many battles. There will come a Day when these battles …
"But I have been the Lord your God ever since you came out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Saviour except me" (Hosea 13:4). Here, God is saying to the people, "Here's something you must never forget. I brought you out of Egypt the land of bondage." He's saying to them, "Never forget how much …
Revised Common Lectionary Year B - First Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37 Jesus Christ is God’s Answer to our prayer. We confess our sins to God - ‘We sinned... All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy …
At that time, Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do" (Luke 10:21). Here we see "Jesus, full of …
Continue reading Full of joy through the Holy Spirit, let us boast in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 6:12-7:24 The Lord has placed the highest value on us: ‘you were bought with a price’ (6:20; 7:23). Our love for Him must be stronger than any other love. Some are under pressure, at home, from an unbelieving husband or wife. You wonder whether your Christian witness is doing any good (7:16). You …
Continue reading Our Love For The Lord Must Be Stronger Than Any Other Love.
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). How does the Lord keep us walking in His way? – He keeps on bringing to our attention the glorious future which He is preparing for us. …
"I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). "We preach Christ crucified" (1 Corinthians 1:23). Here, Paul speaks to us about knowing Christ crucified and preaching Christ crucified, Before we can preach him, we must know him. God speaks to us before we speak for him. What …
Continue reading Knowing Jesus and preaching him: it’s all about loving him.
'Living as the prophetic people of God': How should we approach this subject? We could embark on a lengthy discussion, centred on the question, "What is prophecy?" Here, I will suggest a general definition of prophecy, and then proceed to consider the principal connections between prophecy and the Christian life. We may begin with two …
The beginning of wisdom is this: get wisdom (Proverbs 4:7). Whatever else may be said about wisdom, may we never tire of saying this: "the Holy Scriptures are able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15). Where would we be without this wisdom: wisdom for salvation through faith in …
Continue reading Wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus
"Don’t you have a saying, “It’s still four months until harvest”? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying …
Continue reading The Word and the words (4): The sower, the reaper and the Lord
1 Corinthians 5:1-6:11 - ‘Your boasting is not good’ – May we never become so taken up with ourselves that we forget Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us: ‘Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us’, ‘you were washed… sanctified… justified in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in …
Psalm 42:1-11 As we read God's Word day-by-day, we are to pray for an increase of our desire for God: 'My soul thirsts for God, for the living God' (Psalm 42:2). This is the spiritual experience, referred to in Psalm 42:7 - 'Deep calls to deep'. This is what Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians …
Continue reading ‘My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.’
"In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness" (Luke 3:1-2). Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate: …
Continue reading Very important people – but the Word of the Lord didn’t come to any of them!
"What You have done will be praised from one generation to the next" (Psalm 145:4). These words, from Psalm 145, are calling on us to give an answer to a most important question: What will we pass on to the next generation? Will we pass on something of permanent value? Will we pass on something that stands …
Continue reading What Will We Pass On To The Next Generation?
2 Chronicles 5:2-7:10; 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1; Proverbs 20:5-14 “The glory of the Lord filled the Temple of God” (2 Chronicles 5:14). There is glory among God’s people when He answers their prayers (2 Chronicles 6:40-42 and 2 Chronicles 7:1-3). All that we do is to be done “for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). This includes our …
"God has set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). God has given us some understanding of himself, but we do not understand everything all that he is doing in our lives and in our world. There are two thoughts here, and …
Continue reading Our limited understanding and God’s revelation
At the heart of our life, there is to be thanksgiving - “Thanks be to God” (2 Corinthians 9:15; 1 Corinthians 15:57). We thank God for all all his good gifts. We give thanks to him for his greatest gift: the gift of his Son - our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Chronicles 21:4-23:21; 1 Corinthians 15:50-16:4; Proverbs 20:25-21:4 The conflict between good and evil, godliness and ungodliness, may be seen throughout the Scriptures. This is particularly true in the history of the Old Testament kings. God is doing a work. Satan is doing all that he can to destroy it. We must make “a covenant ... …
Continue reading Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
"This is My blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28). Early on in my Christian life, I read James Denney's book, The Death of Christ. Reading this book gave me a real sense of the importance of the death of Christ. This has stayed with me over the …
"We preach Christ crucified" (1 Corinthians 1:23). In his preaching. Paul "reasoned with people from the Scriptures" (Acts 17:2), but he did not say, "We preach Isaiah", "We preach Jeremiah" or "We preach... ." He said, "We preach Christ crucified." When Paul spoke about the death of Christ, he spoke about the love of God: …
Continue reading When we preach Christ crucified, let us, also, preach that he is the risen Lord.
"Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12). While we are here on earth, our understanding is very incomplete - but that's not the whole story of our life! God is calling us on to greater things. He's calling us on to the glory of his eternal presence. …
"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:24, New International Version). What is Jesus saying to us here? When we read, in the King James Version, the words, "worship in spirit and in truth", we may feel that he's speaking about the attitude in which we are to …
"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). We give thanks to God for faith, hope and love - but, more than anything else, we give thanks for Jesus. He shows to us real love, true love, the best love, the greatest love, his love. We put …
The proclamation of peace with God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1) must be carefully dissociated from a proclamation which says, "'Peace, peace', when there is no peace" (Jeremiah 6:14; Jeremiah 8:11).
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 There is hope. This is a message which is very relevant in today's world. We hear of death and destruction. We ask the question, "Is there hope?" This question impresses itself upon us as we take seriously the events of our day. "Is there hope?" As we consider this question, we may …
Continue reading Preaching God’s Word: 1 Corinthians 15:1-19
1 Corinthians 1- 6 Paul preached ‘Christ crucified’ with a determination ‘to know nothing except Jesus Christ crucified’(1:23; 2:2). This is the message of our salvation. All the glory belongs to God: ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord’ (1:31). We come to know God when ‘the Spirit’ leads us to ‘Jesus Christ’ (2:10-13; …
Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 2:2; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20; Galatians 6:14 Paul was no silent disciple, no half-hearted follower of Jesus. He was not ashamed of his Lord. He was glad to say, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith" (Romans …
When we think about our salvation, we must not think about it as our own achievement. We must, always, remember to come to God, with humility. We must, always, remember to give all the glory to God. Before God's Word speaks to us about our faith, it speaks to us about God's grace: "By grace, …
"We will be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).We look forward to the great change - when death will be no more. We look forward to eternal life. Paul describes this great change as "a mystery" (1 Corinthians 15:51). Can we say more than this? We must emphasize the continuity between the change that begins here on …
Sermon on John 11:1-57 The story of the raising of Lazarus has a great deal to teach us. A good starting-point might be the name, "Lazarus." It means "God is my help" or "God helps." Isn't that a great starting-point? It reminds us that God is our Help. It reminds us that God helps us. …
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 An introduction to this great chapter on the Resurrection, the fact and its meaning The resurrection is more than a fact from the past. It's a fact for the future. "We shall all be changed... " (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). This is more than social change. It's more than personal change. Politics isn't …
"God forbid that I should boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14). These words of Paul take us to the heart of the gospel. They remind us of his words in 1 Corinthians 1:23 - "we preach Christ crucified" - and 1 Corinthians 2:2 - "I decided to concentrate …
2 Chronicles 16:1-18:27; 1 Corinthians 15:1-34; Psalm 102:1-11 The people of God are to be “armed for battle” (2 Chronicles 17:18). The battle is spiritual. It can only be won through the power of the risen Christ. His purpose is the destruction of “the last enemy … death” (1 Corinthians 15:26). This has been accomplished, …
"When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God... My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s …
Continue reading We need the preaching of God’s Word in the power of God’s Spirit.
"I'll tell you what I think." "I'll give you my opinion." In today's world, people will listen to all sorts of opinions. They may disagree with what's being said, but they will listen, and they will say, "You're entitled to your opinion." What happens when someone says, "This is what the Word of the Lord …
Continue reading Are there some things that are more than “just your own opinion”?
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). In these words of faith, hope and love, Paul builds up to "the greatest of these... love." We may, also begin with love, emphasizing that love comes first. When we begin with love, we emphasize that love …
2 Chronicles 7:11-9:31; 1 Corinthians 11:2-34; Psalm 98:1-9 Worship lies at the heart of the Christian life. If the blessing of God is to come upon His people, there must be the gathering together of the His people for worship. In calling His people to prayer, God says this: “Now My eyes will be open and …
Continue reading Worship – at the heart of the Christian life
"Out of this world!" - Sometimes, we use this phrase to describe something we like a lot. We exaggerate. We make something out to be better than it really is. When we speak about Jesus, our Saviour, we really mean it - He's out of this world: "Who came down from heaven to earth? Jesus …
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). In these words, Paul is encouraging us to draw back the curtain and catch a glimpse of a bigger and better world than this world, which …
"Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord" (Colossians 3:23). So much of our life seems so ordinary. We say, "There's nothing very special about it." What does God say to us about our …
We preach Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23). What we preach is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord (2 Corinthians 4:5). As I was reading these verses about Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, I found this song of praise, arising in my heart. May God help each of us to think, often, of Jesus, …
Continue reading Responding to God’s Word (43): One day when heaven was filled with his praises…
1 Corinthians 10:1-33 - ‘Participation in the blood of Christ… participation in the body of Christ’ (16): There is nothing more important than this. We are not to be spectators, standing on the side lines, watching what’s going on without ever getting involved. We are to be participants, getting to know the Lord Jesus Christ, growing …
Continue reading Out of our old life, into Christ’s new life
"However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard,and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him — these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). "For now we see through a glass, darkly; …
Continue reading As far as the eye can see … and more than that!
"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). May God teach us to live our life in the light of eternity. "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him …
Ecclesiastes 9:13-12:14; 1 Corinthians 9:1-18; Psalm 96:1-13 “Here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). There are many matters which are secondary. Living in accordance with the Gospel is the all-important thing: “We put up with anything rather than hinder the Gospel of Christ” (1 Corinthians 9:12). “For great is …
Continue reading Living in accordance with the Gospel is the all-important thing.
"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). These verses speak to us …
Continue reading Our great privilege and our great responsibility
1 Corinthians 7:25-8:13 We are to ‘use the things of the world’ without becoming ‘engrossed in them’ (31). Becoming more worldly in our way of living is not a purely personal thing. We harm other people ‘for whom Christ died’. They look to us for a godly example and we let them down. We ‘sin …
"I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way, with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge, God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ …
Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12; 1 Corinthians 7:17-35; Proverbs 19:23-20:4 “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).This is the world’s way. The Lord’s way is a better way. We are to “use the things of the world” without being “engrossed in them” (1 Corinthians 7:31). What we must …
Continue reading The Lord’s way is better than the world’s way.
"The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about" (Luke 18:34). The disciples didn't know what Jesus was talking about. Jesus did know what he was talking about. There are many things that we don't understand - this is when …
Continue reading Enough understanding to change our way of thinking and our way of living
Our heads go down. Our hearts are lifted up by Jesus Christ, the risen Lord. He has triumphed over death - "Death has been swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:54). He gives his victory to us - "Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:57). …
"O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake ... " (Daniel 9:19). "O Lord" - This is prayer. We do not take our problem to everyone else but the Lord. We take our problem to the Lord. "Hear" and "listen" - There can be a …
"I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3). When we think about the history of God's salvation, we begin with God's everlasting love. We go back beyond the beginning of the world - back to the everlasting God and his everlasting love. "That it might be fulfilled" (Matthew 1:21). When we focus our …
Continue reading The history of God’s salvation – Jesus is our Saviour and Lord.
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